


One Summer Day

by mamipapi



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, PLEASE keep in mind that the first chapters were written while i was still a bit young, because i like cats and have some kitties of my own, but for the sake of this fic, but there is a LOT of kakashi fluff in here don't worry, chunin aren't supposed to go on missions by themselves but i didn't know that at the time, especially when obito "retrieves" reader, i tried doing research on the science of head trauma, it was originally posted on my quotev under the name tobitobi, keep in mind that i am NOT a doctor, near the end of the story i decided that kakashi should have a happy ending of his own, reader has cat summons, reader survives., reader was an akatsuki member, shaking baby syndrome exists and a baby typically dies from it, so i was a young writer in the beginning of making this, so most of the story is mainly centered around obito, so please brave through it for me! >w<, the grammar and the plot gets WAY better as time goes on though, there will be some errors or cringe in the beginning, this is mainly a obito uchiha x reader story, this story has taken a couple years to finish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 12:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 38
Words: 128,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19376842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mamipapi/pseuds/mamipapi
Summary: this is my favorite chapter in the entire series. hope you enjoy.





	1. Intro

        It was a nice entry into summer, that day. Bees danced among various pollen-dusted flowers, plants were blooming, animals were raising their babies in relative peace, and...

        "Dammit, Kakashi! You cheated on that one!"

        One particular team was training in a grassy field just beyond Konohagakure's gates. Well... almost everything seemed to be in harmony.

        "In order for me to cheat, that means that you have to be just as good as me, which you aren't. You're just horrible at winning."

        Here, we have Kakashi Hatake, the ever–vigilant and responsible one of Team Minato. He was everything that the boys at the academy were not, and the one person that our dearest Obito Uchiha wished that he could be. Don't get me wrong, Obito had many traits that others did not have, like good teamwork and politeness towards elders in need. However, Obito couldn't help but feel like he was inferior to the silver-headed teammate of his when the Hatake made comments like that. Kakashi was the strongest, the wisest, the more strategic one. Obito was the failed-to-be-noticed tragic third-wheel, the exact cause of the boy's strife. How could this happen, you ask?

        EXHIBIT A:

        "Kakashi-kun... you're so good at hand-to-hand combat! How did you get so skilled?"

        Obito's eyes shot over to the brunette girl whom he had a fairly large crush on. His eyes widened in shock at the Nohara's compliment towards his rival, his heart plummeting.

        EXHIBIT B:

        Obito lifted up his index finger and made a weak grin. "U-uh," he stuttered, "Rin-chan, did you see my new kunai? I--"

        "Thanks," Kakashi interrupted Obito to respond to Rin, not even turning to acknowledge the fact that she was right there standing beside him. Rin gushed at that simple acknowledgement and her hands slapped onto her cheeks which were dusting into a light red color, a flustered smile on her young face.

        EXHIBIT C:

        Obito gaped at his two teammates. What had happened? How could he be ignored so easily? His anger began to tint his cheeks and ears a light shade of red, just like Rins - but because of a different reason. The Uchiha's brows scrunched together in silent fury before he let out a low growl from his throat, fists shaking at his sides.

        "Rin-chan," he said a bit more loudly, finally catching the girls attention.

        The girl blinked at his new change in demeanor, turning her head on her shoulders to innocently blink at him with a little hum. "What is it, Obito-kun?"

        "Would you like to go and get some dangos later?" He asked, the anger slowly ebbing away to be replaced with hope and a bit of sheepishness. Obito's fists loosened, no more than just twitching fingers and sweaty palms.

        "Oh..." Rin had already turned away from the dark-haired boy, catching one last glimpse at Kakashi as he began to walk away. "Maybe later, Obito-kun..." And with that, she went to help Kakashi fix up a minor cut that he had received during his and Obito's sparring session.

        Obito's vexation and jealousy came rushing back to him like a slap to the face. He felt like exploding; crying; screaming; ripping his hair out, anything at all to help him get rid of this frustration boiling up inside of him like a fuming teapot.

        Suddenly, a reassuring hand clasped down on the Uchiha's shoulder, fingertips digging into Obito's jacket. "How about you and I go and get some ramen later, Obito?" Minato suggested to his student, bright blue eyes smiling warmly at the boy.

        Obito didn't look up at his sensei, but continued to gaze at the other two in sadness. Then, after a few seconds, he weakly nodded, turning away. "Okay, Minato-sensei." He moped, sighing heavily and ignoring Kakashi and Rin for the time being.

        "Good sparring, you two. Training is over, you can all go home now." Kakashi began to walk off, and of course, Rin skipped after the silver-headed boy. Obito groaned at that, and Minato took that as his cue to guide the boy back into the village gates behind Rin and Kakashi.

        Just as their order had come, and just as Obito lifted the ramen up to his lips, a jounin burst into Ichiraku's Ramen and pointed at Obito. "You're needed in the Hokage's office for briefing."

        Minato looked a little surprised at the abrupt interruption, but he looked over at Obito and smiled nonetheless. "Very well. It looks as if you have a mission. Go ahead and follow him back to the Hokage's. We'll just have our ramen later."

        Obito's stomach growled. He sheepishly looked up at the two adults and sighed before he pushed his ramen away from him and began to follow the jounin back.

        "What?"

        This was very unexpected, and Obito was pleasantly surprised at what his mission was. He needed to retrieve a... person. And bring them back to the village. That was his mission. But that's all that he knew, so far.

        "Unfortunately, there's a person that's causing trouble in one of the nearby villages. There have been multiple complaints and no one has really been able to fix this situation. So I thought that you would be best fit for the job to retrieve them and bring them back to the village."

        Obito pursed his lips. This person seemed pretty tough to deal with. How could he bring them back without dying? But then a thought struck him. He'll be taking a mission... alone.

        No Kakashi to steal the spotlight.

        No Rin to gush over the silverette.

        Just him. And he could prove that he's strong enough by bringing this girl back to Konoha! Yes! Obito did a subtle happy dance and inwardly screamed in excitement. He'll bring this person back and prove himself once and for all! It was perfect!

        "Are you alright, son?" The Third questioned, a brow raised towards Obito. He froze in embarrassment and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, yeah! So when do I set out on the mission?" He straightened up and tried to look regal by crossing his arms behind his back. The Third ignored him and looked back down at the papers on his desk, continuing to scrawl some things down. "You set out on your mission right now. Do try to not tell anyone what the mission is for before you come back."

        "Yes."


	2. Annoying

        It seemed like Kakashi could care less about Obito going on a mission. At least Rin showed some excitement, the Uchiha thought. He puffed out his cheeks and continued to leap from tree to tree. He'll show them. He'll show them all! He would, and he won't back down from this person. Obito could just imagine the praise that he would be getting...

        "Wow, Obito! You're so strong! Can you show me how you do it?" One girl would ask, her hands on her cheeks. All of the girls that had previously fawned over Kakashi would come rushing to his side and holding his arms, lifting him up in the air, anything.

        "Obito! Obito! Obito!" They would chant, his name reverberating throughout the crowd. "That's right ladies, I am everything that those boys at the academy aren't and everything that Kakashi wishes he could be!" Kakashi would be curling in on himself in the corner and digging a hole before crawling within. "Obito-kun is right... I wish that I was just like him!"

        "Obito..." That recognizable voice would murmur over the loud chanting. "Rin!" Obito would cry, shoving himself away from all of his fans and rushing to the brunette's side. "Obito, you're so wonderful..."

        "Heh, I guess I am pretty great." Obito sheepishly says, rubbing his head. "Kiss me, Obito-kun," Rin whispers. Obito leans in, puckering his lips...

        "OW!" Obito yelped as he ran straight into a tree. "Dammit! I wasn't watching where I was going!" The dark-haired boy growled as he sat back on one of the large branches and gingerly rubbed his forehead and nose. Dammit, his nose was going to be bruised now! It hurt like a bitch, too. This sucks.

        Obito was already two days into the mission. He had already wasted enough time making camp along the way to this village since it had been raining nonstop ever since his mission had begun, coincidentally. The rain water created rather deep puddles on either side of the trail below, and Obito strained to not slip off of the wet tree branches and into one of them. Now that would really be a bummer. He didn't want to show up at the village with mud stains in his clothes. How would anyone take him seriously that way?

        But on the offside, he actually enjoyed this weather. He liked the serenity of the rain. Obito always enjoyed sitting within his home and watching the rain slide down his window, the sound of it reverberating throughout the home. Him, curled up in blankets and getting lost in his thoughts about his future. (Well. That last part wasn't so fun. It sounded rather depressing.)

        The young boy's legs started to get tired out from hopping from tree-to-tree so much. Looking down at the ground below, he studied the puddles. Eh. They weren't necessarily on the trail, so it was okay. Carefully, Obito made his way down from the trees.

        "Ak!" He screeched when he lost his footing and slipped the rest of the way down. Clumsy, Obito! You need to be more focused! He slapped himself as soon as he got back up and shook his head to "clear" himself of the clumsiness. Alright, maybe he was a little nervous for this mission. So he was a little anxious to meet them, but that was okay. But what if he failed and didn't succeed in bringing them back? What would his teammates think of him then? What would Rin think? Obito Uchiha wouldn't let himself come back empty handed. No.

        He would succeed! That was his ninja way!

        Obito puffed out his chest and began to walk down the trail again, ignoring the rain that was beginning to seep into his sandals and constantly wiping off the front of his goggles with the back of his hand. He could tell that he was getting close to Amegakure from the nonstop raining, but from what the Third said, this person wasn't located anywhere near Amegakure. Was he lost then?

        Obito paused to run off of the trail for some nearby shelter from the rain. As he ducked under a short tree, he pulled out his map and scanned where he should be headed. No, he was on the right path. Anxiety really was getting the upper hand in this mission; Obito was panicking over nothing! He growled in frustration and stuffed the map back into his pocket.

        "Stupid rain, stupid map, stupid stress, stupid mission, stupid mystery person--!"

        "Who's a stupid person?" A confused voice said behind him, and Obito screeched. The boy snatched a kunai from his belt and whirled around with it held directly in front of him. Before him stood a girl with soft features and (h/l) (h/c) hair. She was standing in a very casual way, with her arms hanging by her sides and her feet close together. She looked completely unfazed by the weapon held in Obito's shaking hands, and this confused Obito. He was a stranger! And this girl dared to look indifferent! Did he really look so weak to her that he didn't even bare the title of threatening at all?

        "Who are you?" Obito growled, instantly regaining his calm composure and getting out of his fighting stance. Yet, he still held out his knife. Just in case. He squinted at the girl. She looked about his age, but a bit younger, he noted, as he looked her up and down.

        "I don't know, actually," The girl said in a contemplative manner, turning her head to the side and putting a finger up to her lips. Her hand rested on her hip and she tapped her finger a couple of times on her bottom lip before her eyes shot over to Obito. She studied the look of shock and befuddlement on his face before she broke out into giggles and snorts. "I'm just kiddin! But I remember being called (Name) a long time ago. What's yours?" Obito scowled at her joking manner.

        "Why should I tell you?" He wondered, his voice laced with suspicion as he leaned in with squinted eyes to stare pointedly at (Name). "I don't know. But you asked who I am, so I mean, why can't you tell me who you are?" She fired back at the boy.

        "Good point. But who I am doesn't matter. Do you know of a little village somewhere near here? I'm supposed to be going there to... ask around." He carefully worded his question, his eyes still squinted as he stared upwards a little bit as he thought out what he should say if this girl asked any more questions. This was his first solo mission, he was in charge, not Kakashi. So he needed to carefully calculate his options.

        "Oh, yeah! That village! I know what you're talking about. I usually hang around there, but it's not really my village. The villagers are pretty mean to me, though. I don't really know why..." (Name) said, staring off in the distance again with that contemplative gleam in her eyes. Obito squinted at (Name). From what she said, she fit the bill for what the Third had to say about this person, or... young girl named (Name)?

        Obito pursed his lips and furrowed his brows. He put his kunai away and crossed his arms. "Does anyone else in that village do what you do?" He tested.

        "...No. I wish that they did, though. I don't really know what I'm doing wrong."

        "You're disturbing them." Obito bluntly said, frowning at her. This is the girl that the Third told him to bring back. Young girls like her wouldn't just randomly start up a conversation with a stranger in the woods, yet alone be by herself. (Not that you couldn't take care of yourself, but our dearest Obito Uchiha doesn't know that.)

        (Name)'s lips parted and she looked off to the side without turning her head. She looked back at Obito. Obito squinted at her.

.

.

.

        "Hey! Where are you taking me?!" (Name) gasped, gaping at his hand that was wrapped around her wrist. Obito dragged her down the wet trail and didn't turn around when he answered. "I'm taking you to Konohagakure." Obito said in a super fake superior voice - wow, he really was trying really hard to look impressive. Comically enough, (Name) fell for it. "Konohagakure? Is that your home? What do you do there? Does it rain where you live? Is it warm? It's always nippy around the Rain Village."

        Questions, questions, questions. This girl wouldn't stop talking! A tick mark appeared at his temple and his jaw tensed up. Rolling his eyes, he yanked on her arm. "Stop talking!" He complained, baring his teeth at her. (Name) squeaked in surprise. "Jeez, sorry..." She said, her voice going soft once again. Obito's eyes softened a fraction behind his orange goggles and he, admittedly, did feel a little guilty. She was just expressing her curiosity of Konoha; she obviously has never been anywhere outside of the Rain country. Or has she?

        As they continued to walk down the path, a very awkward silence stretched out between the duo. Obito was still holding (Name)'s wrist and (Name) had begun to grow very confused. She still didn't understand why he was taking her back to Konoha and he still hasn't even given her his name! (Name) huffed and squinted her eyes at the back of the Uchiha's head. But then an idea struck her, and she grinned.

        After a few minutes, Obito had failed to notice that the arm holding (Name)'s wrist was gradually rising up. "Hey, Goggles!" (Name) had suddenly appeared in front of Obito, but upside-down. He jumped back in surprise and accidentally let go of (Name)'s wrist, but she didn't make a move to run away. His head shot up to see how (Name) was doing that, and his face scrunched up in annoyance to see her standing on the branch above him.

        "Don't call me Goggles!"

        "Alright then, Earmuffs. I won't call you Goggles anymore."

        "Don't call me Earmuffs, either!" Obito curled his fists and scrunched his face up in anger at the girl. "Then what am I supposed to call you?! You didn't give me your name!" She whined, her brows arching up in confusion and frowning at him. Obito stuck out his lower lip and scowled at her. But then he blinked and realized that he was being a really, really big asshole. He took a couple steps back and pressed his palm to his chest, the other hand raised in the air and his eyes closed. "My name is Obito Uchiha, of the Uchiha Clan! I am waaaaaay stronger than Kakashi Hatake, and Rin Nohara is in love with me! I'm better than Kakashi and--"

        "Who is Kakashi?" You said, your features twisted into an even deeper expression of confusion. Your head was tilted to the side and you had moved to sit down on the top of the branch rather that upside-down on the underside. Obito paused, his features frozen as if he was about to continue feeding your innocent mind lies. He rolled his eyes and sighed, his fingers rubbing circles into his temple. "He thinks that he's great at everything." Obito muttered, crossing his arms and staring up at you.

        "And who's Rin?" You asked.

        Obito blushed a deep shade of scarlet and stuttered out, "S-she's... she's a friend of mine and Kakashi's. She's really nice, and sweet, and... beautiful..." He stared off into the distance and began to daydream again.

        "Uhm, Obito?" You waved your hand in front of his face. He failed to notice. You huffed and began to shake his shoulders. "OBITO!" Said boy screeched in shock and fell to the ground with a thud. Obito's dark eyes shot up to glare at you. "Hey! What was that for?!" He protested, annoyance plastered over his face once again.

        "Are you going to take me to Konoha or are you going to keep doing -- OBITO!" You yelled, slapping him in the face as soon as he began to start daydreaming about this Rin person again. Obito let out a very girly squeak at your violence. "ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ME TO KO-NO-HA?" You said very loudly, making sure that he didn't fall asleep yet again. Obito scowled and stood up, pushing his index finger into your chest.

        "Let me make a few rules before I do anything else. Don't slap me. And don't yell at me, either!" He huffed and you squinted at him. "Fine!" With a grunt, you snatched up his hand and slapped his palm onto your wrist, forcing him to hold it like he had done beforehand. Obito sighed in annoyance and set off once again, pulling you along.


	3. Dead for Sure

        "So... what am I going to do when you give me to the Hokage?" You asked. Obito had given up on holding your wrist, opting to let his hands rest by his sides. He didn't want to hold your hand, because he was saving that for a special girl back in Konoha: Rin.

        Obito shrugged. "I dunno. The Third just sent me to come get you and bring you back. That's all I know, really, besides you being annoying." He sent a pointed stare your way.

        "Annoying? You're calling me annoying?" You narrowed your eyes at him. Obito scowled. "Who are you calling annoying?" He accused, stopping in his tracks.

        "I don't know... YOU!" You pushed his shoulder and the Uchiha stumbled. "Ugh! You're lucky that I'm not in the mood for sparring. Otherwise, I would have already hit you!" Obito growled, pushing himself away from the tree that he fell onto. You rolled your eyes and scoffed. "You think that this is a spar?"

        "No! That's not what I said!"

        "Then don't use the incorrect words to describe something!"

        Obito threw his arms around in frustration. "Once I give you to the Hokage, I'll be so glad to be rid of you!"

        "Good!" You screeched, furiously crossing your arms and glaring with wide eyes at that log a little ways off the trail. Obito ignored you afterwards.

        It had been about thirty minutes after that argument when you had begun to grow bored. Your eyes kept wondering all over Obito's back, then to the trees and the greenery all around you. Wow, was it bland. You began to wonder about the Leaf Village. Was it anything like the Rain Village, all gray and no sunshine? But from what Obito described, it didn't seem that way.

        "We're almost there," Obito said after a while of silence. You remained silent, for fear that another pointless argument would spark up again. But you were surprised, that even after those arguments that you two had for three days straight, he started up a conversation by himself.

        "Back then when we first met... what did you mean when you said that you didn't know who you were?" His quiet voice asked, and he dared to risk a glance at you from over his shoulder. He had that on his mind for the entire duration of him knowing you, and he had to risk asking what you meant. You can't just leave a boy hanging like that.

        "I don't know if that really matters, but... I don't know if I feel comfortable explaining in detail about what I meant. ...I'm sorry." You looked away from the back of his head and watched your feet. This conversation was way too intimate for you both, and you felt happy that it ended as soon as it started. As you two drifted off into silence once more, you couldn't believe that you were actually doing this. I mean, you could just hit his pressure point and make him collapse right then and there, but you kept yourself from going that far. It wasn't necessary. But what if you decided to run? Obito would just follow you and probably wouldn't stop until he had you brought back to his village. But, when he figured out who you were back there, you saw a fire in his eyes that you had honestly never seen before. He looked like he had something to prove. You instantly submitted, oddly enough.

        This boy, despite the fire in his eyes, interested you. You didn't exactly know what it was that made you want to keep walking by his side and allowing him to take you away, but it was there. You didn't know it yet, though.

        You sighed.

 

 

        When Obito turned you into the Hokage, he was instantly dismissed by the Third. He didn't question his Hokage's motives, so he went along and left. As he walked down the corridor and farther away from the Hokage's office, he found himself letting out a breath. Thank goodness you weren't there to pester him anymore. So he'll go ahead and pester Kakashi since you were out of the way! As he ran out of the building, he pursed his lips at the empty streets. It was late, and no one else was wandering around anymore. Dammit.

        The next morning at training, Obito began to boast about how he brought back "this girl" and went on about how he "fought her off" when she "attacked him." Kakashi, of course, thought that that was totally a load of bullshit, but he didn't question. The silver-headed boy wasn't going to focus on his lies for craved attention and he was going to focus on his training like all of them should. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Obito, who was telling his fake story to a very interested Rin.

        Obito was interrupted by Minato who had just arrived upon the training grounds. "Hello, everyone."

        "Hi, Minato-sensei!" Rin sweetly said, waving shyly at the blond. Minato smiled. "Now, I know what you all might be thinking. We're going to do work today, and it's going to be awesome! And you're absolutely correct!"

        "Really? What are we doing?" Obito pumped his hands and grinned excitedly at Minato.

        "We're going to help around the village!"

        The grin froze on our dear protagonists' face.

.  
.  
.

        "EEEEHHH? MINATO-SENSEI! I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE GOING TO DO SOMETHING COOLER!"

        "Stop whining."

        "SHUT UP, OLD MAN!"

        "I'm not old just because I have silver hair."

        "TELL THAT TO EVERY OTHER OLD PERSON!"

        "That doesn't even make sense!"

        Rin sighed, her brows furrowing in exasperation. "Guys, please... can we stop fighting?" Obito immediately stopped and blushed. "Yes, Rin-chan. I'm sorry."

        Minato sweat-dropped.

 

 

        Picking up garbage?! This was lame! Obito angrily stabbed the garbage with the rod and dumped it into the garbage bag that Rin held. She looked worried for her fellow teammate, and it was as always getting on Kakashi's nerves, but he didn't show what he was feeling. Kakashi's fingernails dug into the rod that he held, and his eyes were squeezed shut.

        Fwump. Grunt.

        Stab. Angry grunt.

        Fwump. Another grunt--

        "Stop grunting. It's bothering me." Kakashi sighed, a tick mark appearing over his forehead.

        Fwump.

        "Don't you do it!" Kakashi warned. Obito lifted up the rod with the garbage on the end and stared Kakashi in the eye as the garbage made its way over to the bag as if in slow-motion.

        Grunt.

        Kakashi threw his rod at Obito, and the boy lurched, pulling Rin away and to safety before she got hurt. "Hey! You could have hurt Rin-chan!" Obito yelled, his eyes furious as he stared Kakashi down. Kakashi's glare held twice as much malice, and the two boys clashed heads.

        "I'mgoingtohurtyousobad!" Kakashi furiously whispered, his words mixing together. "Youwon'tgetachancetobecauseI'llbeHokage!" Obito whisper-yelled, and it even mixed with a scream, somehow. "Uh, guys?" Rin said in the background, and Obito's head shot up from Kakashi's before his eyes fixated on Rin. "Yes, Rin-chan?"

        "Who is that girl?" Rin pointed at a certain (h/c) girl that was currently taking a leisurely stroll through the park with the Third. "I've never seen her before. Oh - Obito-kun! Is that the girl that you fought off when she tried to attack you? The girl that was your mission?"

        Obito's face paled and his expression dropped. A blue aura surrounded his frame and his character began to anime-melt. "Obito? Obito-kun?" Rin helped him back up and was just about to sit him down on the nearby bench, had it not been for the Hokage and (Name) approaching.

        He was dead for sure.


	4. Roger That

        "Hello, Rin, Kakashi, Obito," The Third greeted as he walked up to the trio. Rin waved at the Hokage and her expression went blank as her gaze swept all over you. You looked uncomfortable at the very subtle sour look she was giving you. Had you done something wrong? What made her get her knickers in such a twist? You raised your hand before you hesitated and then shyly waved at Rin. She blinked at you.

        "Um. Hi." You blinked at her in confusion. You weren't going to have her being so sour at you for nothing. You were going to turn this girl around right here, right now. "Why are you looking at me like I just pushed you into a wall?" You bluntly asked.

        Rin blinked at you, and before she could answer, Obito jumped in. "Uh! (Name)! Can I talk to you for a second?" He hurriedly mumbled, snatching up your wrist again and dragging you a ways away from the Hokage and his two partners. The Third made casual conversation with the two, and you stared back at Rin as she stared at you.

        Obito waved a hand in front of your face. "(Name)! Listen, I don't want you to be mad at Rin for giving you that look. You see… um…" he trailed off and rubbed his neck, refusing to make eye contact with you. Your face looked exasperated at having to wait so long for him to continue.

        "I might have made a teensy–weensy, itsy–bisty, itty–bitty little problem," he pinched his two fingers together to emphasize his point. You squinted at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

        Obito sighed quite loudly. "I… I told Rin and Kakashi lies. I said that you tried to fight me when I first met you, and now Rin is mad at you… because of me." Your eyes widened considerably before you pushed his shoulder, earning a disapproving look from the girl a few ways away. "Obito! Why would you do that?! I was nothing but pleasant to you when we first met! How could you say that?!"

        Obito looked very ashamed. "Look, I'm sorry! I know that! Please don't be mad at me! But I really wanted to impress Rin because… because…"

        "Because?" You pushed, crossing your arms and frowning at the boy.

        "Because I just really like Rin, and me and Kakashi are always fighting. I thought that if I told them about me going head–to–head with the person I was supposed to 'capture,'" Obito made quotation marks with both of his hands, "then maybe I'd learn a little more respect around here. I'm just, I'm always treated like I'm not that big of a deal! And Kakashi is always getting the spotlight! I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for lying. I really do feel like garbage now, but—"

        You silenced him by pressing your hand over his mouth. "Shh. Look, since you practically begged for my apology," you flipped your hair in a comical manner, "then I'll go along with this little mess you got yourself into. I might take a while to 'earn' Rin's trust, but I guess… if it'll help you gain a little more respect around here, then I'll be willing to do this."

        Obito couldn't believe his ears. You were really willing to do this? Even after he had called you annoying so many times before? Obito leaned away from your hand. "Really?"

        "You bet'cha," you grinned, and suddenly leaned in when Kakashi turned to look at the two of you. The duo was taking a long time to get back with the Hokage and company, and Kakashi had begun to grow suspicious. He knew that Obito had been lying about all of this. "Listen, Obito. We really need to be serious about this. When we go back over there, we need to look really mad at eachother like we were just arguing over something. Pretend that I just insulted your girlfriend."

        "She's not my girlfriend—"

        "Yeah, yeah. But just pretend that I was Kakashi, the kid that you appear to hate so much—"

        "Rivals."

        "The point, Obito! Pretend that I was Kakashi and I just insulted Rin!" Obito made a thumbs up at you, "Gotcha."

        "Roger that."

        "Affirmative."

        "Confirmed."

        "Gotcha 6."

        You and Obito snapped your fingers at each other several times before you snapped out of it. "Wait! We're supposed to be going out there! We can't be fooling around! Get into position, soldier." You growled, rolling up your sleeves and feigning anger as you walked back over to the Hokage and Obito's two teammates with said brunet on your trail, also feigning irritation.

        "What took you guys so long?" Kakashi asked, the same question in Rin's eyes. The Third turned to lay his hand on top of your head, and you pouted out your lower lip. "Arguing." You bluntly said, furrowing your brows in "anger" as you refused to look at Team Minato.

        "What about? Are you alright, Obito?" Rin fretted, reaching a hand out to the boy. Obito blushed, but quickly ignored it to keep the act realistic. He gulped as he thought about that question. "U—uh…" his eyes travelled over to you for help, only to see that you weren't even looking at him. He wasn't in your peripheral.

        "We were mad about what happened when we first met!" He quickly said, his eyes shooting back to Rin.

        "Oh? What happened?" Hokage asked, question laced in his voice as his hand was hesitantly removed from your head. His eyes stared at Obito, demand in his orbs. Obito inwardly screamed in panic as a cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.

        "…I was cornered by Obito and attacked him. Sadly, I lost. Obito showed a lot of strength in our battle. It really… rattled my bones."

        Dang it! (Name), why would you say that?! Now isn't the time for skeleton jokes! You spent way too much time alone back then, and to pass the time, you came up with useless jokes. What a lonely child.

        Kakashi snorted in the back, covering up his laugh with a sneeze. You hardened your expression to keep from snorting yourself; you couldn't help it. But you forced yourself to swallow what was left in your dry mouth and looked at Obito.

        "Don't look at me like that!" You abruptly said, narrowing your eyes at the Uchiha. He flinched, but then nodded to himself and kept up his own act. "Yep, I sure did beat her and I sure am impressive! Now, uh, would 'ya look at the time…" he looked at an imaginary watch on his wrist. "I need to get back to my mission." Real loathing was coated over that last word, and he furiously went back to picking up garbage again. You snorted at him and watched the rest of his teammates walk away, noticing Kakashi's eyes lingering on your form just as you were slipping out of your act. Why is he looking at me like that? Saving yourself, you shot a glare over at him to make yourself seem more serious. He only turned away and continued to pick up the litter. Maybe you and Obito really did get into a fight?

        "What was that all about, child?" Hokage questioned, staring down at you in confusion. "You were in a good mood before Obito pulled you to the side like that."

        You gulped and refused to answer for a bit. "To be honest, Hokage–san, me and Obito didn't really fight each other. It was quite the opposite when we first met. I was only doing Obito a small favor by pretending that we fought and he won."

        Hokage blinked. But then he burst into laughter and patted your head. "Hah… I see." He acknowledged, the vague response baffling you but you didn't question. You and him just continued to talk about your situation.

        "Lord Hokage, why am I really here?" You wondered, kicking a pebble under your feet. Hokage softly smiled at you, and he patted your back. "One day, you'll learn. But for now, your a permanent citizen of Konoha, courtesy of me."

        You blinked.

        "I belong to a village now, huh?" You mumbled under your breath, but Hokage didn't give any confirmation that he'd heard you. "In due time I'll have you moved into a team—"

        "What?! But don't I have to go to—"

        "It's all right, Child." Hokage calmed your fear. "I've already arranged that. There's a reason why I had my ANBU spies watch after you." You gaped up at him. Spies? You were being spied on?! What! Hokage chuckled at your face. "Yes, I had spies watch after you and study your skill from a distance. From what we've gathered, they've seen you mess with gravity before. Sound familiar?"

        Ah, yes. That day. The day that you had gotten a little upset with a group and might have ripped a small tree from its roots and you might or might not have thrown it at the group that was being a little mean to you. That day was very… tragic. Their words had hurt you, and you hurt them in return, although unknowing that that wasn't the way to go about it. But they deserved it, anyway. That memory was pretty foggy, though. (Even though it was only a year or two ago, your memory was terrible.)

        "So that was the whole reason that I was taken away from the Rain?" You questioned, just to make sure this has gotten straight. "Correct, it absolutely is."

        "And now… I'm living in Konoha."

        "Correct."

        "Which team am I going to get sorted into…?"

        "I'll get that arranged."


	5. Friends

        Rin Nohara, the beautiful girl with chin-length hair and cute purple paint on her cheeks, with the most gorgeous smile in the world -

        Ignored you.

        You knew that she was just a stranger (not really) and just another person that has their own opinions and all, but... you really felt bad. For no specific reason, really, but she was making you feel terrible for something that you didn't actually do. You were really starting to regret your decision to go along with Obito's lies, but you knew that you felt obligated to make him feel-- I don't know! It had been two whole weeks since it happened, and you were becoming more and more shy around Rin. But at the same time, you became more and more irritated. Whenever someone approached you, a purple aura surrounded your frame, scaring whoever it was off. You didn't really bother to approach Obito after a few days, so you were kind of on your own now, lacking a social life once again. It's not like I haven't lived with it for as long as I can remember, you thought with bitterness. It's not anything new to me.

        As you trudged up the steps to your new apartment that you had gotten just the other day-- courtesy of Hokage allowing you to become an official citizen of Konoha-- you groaned while you unlocked your front door. With a slam, the door thudded into its frame and you groaned even more when you opened up the fridge. Empty. Great, now you had to go back out into the village to shop for food. You hadn't realized that you had eaten all of it until now. (Well... you were hungry.)

        You sighed heavily and slipped into your sandals again, trudging back out of the apartment and heading through the streets. Lanterns lit them up, casting a beautiful glow to illuminate the entire town. Part of the reason why your attitude was so sour was because you felt a little homesick. You did miss the rain and the varying gray and dull blue shades-- one would think that you'd like to leave such a depressing place as that. But you thought otherwise. On the other side, you were still a little salty because you had to live in a lie around Rin, Kakashi, and Minato. Luckily, the Third didn't tell anyone. You were blessed to have the old man be the one that you could look up to. (Even if a little.)

        Potatoes, ramen cups, water, etc. was placed into your bags and you struggled to carry them back "home." Right as you rounded a corner, you came face-to-face with none other than a certain brunette girl.

        "Rin!" You gasped, surprised and accidentally dropping the two paper bags that carried all of your necessities. "Oh-- shoot!" You hissed, immediately going down onto your knees to pick up two tomatoes and stuff them back into your bag. Rin looked a little surprised to see you, too, and jumped a little at the sound of your hissed out curse. She felt a little bad for scaring you, and despite her having a small vendetta against you, she went down onto her knees to help you too. You two picked up your goods in tense silence and right as your hand reached for a potato, her hand grazed over your own. Flinching, you snatched your hand back as if you had been burned. A heated blush crossed Rin's features and you two gazed at each other for a few moments, surprise and shock in your (e/c) orbs.

        You sighed and closed your eyes. A defeated look crossed your face and you went back to reach for the potato, the last thing that had fallen out of your bag, and stuffed the two under your arms. Subtly shaking your head, you cast one last glance at Rin and turned away from her, going back on your way and narrowly missing her shoulder. You were practically aching to become friends with her, but... you slowed to a stop after you walked a few steps away from her still frozen figure standing where you had previously been. Hanging your head, you whipped around to burn your eyes into the back of her head.

        "Obito and I apologized to each other. We're... we're friends now." You licked your dry lips and Rin turned around to gaze at you with her wide, chestnut orbs and furrowed brows. She looked surprised; knowing Obito, she hadn't expected them to ever make up. "So... I'm sorry for any trouble that I might have caused you... Rin-chan." She and you gazed at one another for a few more moments before she took a few steps forward, then quickening her pace to lunge at you and throw her arms around your neck. You gasped into her ear and your wide eyes stared down the street over her shoulder.

        "I'm sorry for ignoring you... that wasn't like me at all. I never meant to make you so upset... forgive me, (Name)-chan..." She whisper-mumbled into your hair, and you blushed. Was this the beginning of a new friendship? Your bated breath brushed against Rin's hair, and you waited a few seconds before, "I forgive you."

        "Please be my friend, (Name)-chan," Rin requested, pulling away from you and letting her hands slide down to rest on your own hands that were gripping onto your "luggage." You gulped and nodded. (Maybe with a little too much excitement.) A heart-warming smile broke out onto Rin's features and she leaned forward to scoop the bag with the aforementioned potato out from underneath your left arm. Her own lithe limbs wrapped around the bag, hugging it to her chest before she did an adorable eye-smile at you. Now you understood why Obito liked her so much; she was... truly stunning. You let a soft smile take over your stunned expression, and you lead the Nohara to your home.

        "Here she is, home away from home. I ran out of food this morning and didn't realize that there was virtually nothing in my kitchen, so I that's why I was at the market." Right after you said that, you froze up in embarrassment. Ugh, of course that's why you were at the market, stupid! It's obvious! People just don't go to the market for nothing!

        "(Name)-chan?" You jumped a little at Rin saying your name, and you shook your head. "Yeah, sorry. I just got lost in thought for a second." You pulled out your keys and unlocked the door, pushing it open and letting Rin step into your apartment. Her eyes wondered all around, although in the kindest way possible if that made any sense. Your apartment was pretty plain since you had virtually no belongings at all besides a couch, a chair, a random picture of sunflowers on the wall of the living-room, and... just basic furniture in a basic, ordinary home.

        "Have you gone shopping for any kind of decor yet?" Rin asked, walking over to subtly finger the fabric of your couch. "No, not yet. But I don't really mind the blandness, all I'm doing is living here."

        "That's the point!" Rin laughed, "You're living here. You need to..." She thumbed her lip as she held her chin. "You need to spruce up your home." As Rin told you about what to look for in a painting, a rug, basically everything, the two of you ended up staying together in your home for way longer than Rin had intended. As she was describing how much fun she would have teaching you how to cook, her eyes glanced over to the clock on your wall. She abruptly stood up and held her temples in her hands, "I need to get home! It's way past my curfew! I'll see you later, (Name)-chan, I gotta go!" And like that, she was gone. You listened to her footsteps run down the hallway outside and down the stairs of the complex before they eventually faded away. Sighing heavily, you slumped down onto the couch and went back into the kitchen to put all of your groceries up.

~*•.•*~

 

        The next day, a knock resounded throughout the home. You blearily opened your eyes and squinted at the harsh light coming in from your window and shining directly into your eyes. It felt like the sun was cooking your face. Yeah, a little time was still needed to adjust to this all-sunshine-and-rainbows weather. Knock, knock, knock. The knocking got a little more persistent and you groaned. Scratching your cheek, you got up from your bed and stumbled through the hallway, clumsily bumping your hip into a corner of a lamp-table that was placed up against the wall. "OW!" You screeched, holding your side and clenching your teeth. I'm pretty sure that whoever is at my door heard me, you inwardly cringed and finally made it to your door. Unlocking it, the door swung wide open, revealing none other than Rin... with a blushing Obito. He looked very happy. But then his eyes looked you up and down: (color) pajamas and a white t-shirt was your bed attire. Your wild bedhead and squinty, slightly blood-shot eyes told him that you had just woken up. He snorted at the little yellow ducks that were patterned over your pajama pants.

        "Hi, (Name)! Did you just wake up?" Rin sweetly asked, her hands shyly holding themselves behind her back. You yawned and rubbed your eyes, still squinting at the bright light outside. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't expect you two to be over here so early." Your weak voice replied, and you stretched. Your t-shirt rode up a little, and Obito found himself gazing a little bit. But then an embarrassed blush flushed over his cheeks as he realized what he was doing, and, ashamed at his actions, he looked away and curled his lips in an awkward manner.

        "Oh, well. Obito and I were just strolling through town after training when we thought that we could do something fun! I thought that you should come along! But... it looks like you're pretty tired." Rin said, but pouted a little bit at the end. Your eyes, now adjusted to the sunlight, moved so that you could look at Obito. The boy wasn't looking at you. The flush in his cheeks and his downcast eyes made you raise a curious brow, but you passed it off as him just being shy. Rin was his crush, after all. "No, I can still go. Come in, do whatever, I just need to take a quick shower and whatnot." Stepping aside, Rin allowed herself to guide Obito to the living-room and they did who knows what in there while you headed off to your bedroom to gather your clothes.

        When you walked back into the living-room, you saw that the duo weren't even in there. You blinked. But then you heard laughter in the kitchen and some shuffling noises, and you walked down the hall and into the dining room which was adjacent to the kitchen. Pausing, you allowed yourself to take in the situation:

        Obito, who was sitting at your dining-room table, was currently shoveling your cereal into his already packed mouth. When he noticed you, a little bit of milk dribbled down his chin and his-- your spoon was frozen in his mouth as his wide eyes slowly moved to look at you. Exasperated, you sighed while you rolled your eyes. "Keep eating my food, ignoramus," you teased. Obito accidentally choked and you couldn't help but laugh at his face. Rin giggled at the sight and looked at you for permission before pulling out a cup from your cabinet and pouring herself a glass of water.

        "So what were you two planning on doing?" You asked, calmly (emphasis on the word calmly; your eyes gave a discreet pointed glance at the Uchiha who had just recovered from his choking session) eating your own bowl of cereal and finishing it in a matter of minutes. "We were planning on going to a book shop to buy Kakashi-kun something," Rin answered, her eyes becoming a little dreamy after she finished her sentence. You couldn't help but notice the way Obito had stiffened up while he tensely set the spoon down in the now empty bowl of breakfast. His eyes were downcast and sad. You frowned and let your bare foot gently rest on his own from under the table so that Rin wouldn't see. Obito looked up at you with pursed lips and you let your expression soften before you devilishly grinned and shoved your finger into his side, forcing an almost girly squeak out of him. He wriggled away from you out of impulse and accidentally fell out of his seat, resulting in him falling over onto the wooden-tiled floor.

        "Obito-kun! Are you okay?" Rin worriedly asked, finally breaking out of her trance. Her confused and worried eyes stared at you as you burst into laughter. Holding your stomach, you let out a few more giggles before inhaling deeply. "The way you... the way you squeaked--" And there you went again. Uncontrollable giggles sang out of you and Obito blushed deeply in embarrassment. As revenge, since you weren't paying attention, his own fingers jabbed into your side. You, being the way more ticklish one, made an even more embarrassing squeak as you fell out of your chair yourself. "Ak!"

        "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET!" Obito exclaimed, pointing at you. Rin watched the whole scene unfold with a smile in her eyes. "Goodness. Alright, guys, we need to get that gift for Kakashi!" She climbed off of the counter and began to skip out of the dining-room. As Obito and you were practically dragged by Rin through the busy street, you couldn't help but ask: "Rin, why are we even getting a gift for Kakashi? Is it his birthday, or something?"

        Obito scoffed under his breath, but Rin didn't seem to notice. You did, however, and Rin grinned over her shoulder at you. "We're getting him a gift because he's a really nice guy! I don't exactly know what to get him, but I feel like he'd enjoy a book like I said before." Obito rolled his eyes and shuffled beside you. Why did she like that jerk so much? Obito thought, scornfully staring at everything that crossed his path. Jabbing him in the side, he whipped around to stare at you as he rubbed his ribs. "What was that for?" He whisper-yelled, but quiet enough to where Rin couldn't hear. "What's wrong?" You asked, your voice actually laced with light concern for your new friend. Obito's eyes widened behind his goggles, obviously surprised. But then he dejectedly looked away and silently nodded. You let your eyes linger on his face for a few more seconds. Eventually, you looked away.

        Yes, there was something wrong. Obito was upset because when Rin asked him if he wanted to hang out, she suggested doing something related to Kakashi when he asked what she wanted to do. Kakashi this, Kakashi that, he couldn't ever be around Rin without her talking about that silver-haired jerk! Obito's lips tugged into an even deeper frown and he threw his head back in frustration. Rin wouldn't ever notice him. How he felt, how he liked her so much, how much love he put into her. But she never noticed.

        Yet, (Name) did.


	6. Introductions

        "Rou-san, did I pass?" You asked your tutor. It had been quite a long while ever since you became a citizen of Konoha, and Third took it upon himself to get you your own tutor so that you could learn the ways of a ninja. You struggled a bit at first. (The Narrator's not saying that you didn't know how to read, but... the Narrator is saying that you didn't know how to read.) Your tutor, Rou, a muscular woman with amber eyes and medium-length hair, was absolutely appalled. After that issue was cleared up, you were taught the history, the rules, everything. Rou taught you hand-to-hand combat and you even learned a few "moves" on the way, too. This was all accomplished through extreme tutoring, and when I say extreme, I mean study-all-night-work-all-day extreme. It was difficult to get proper sleep, but, you made it. You took your oath to the village and sworn yourself in, so now, you really were an official citizen.

        "You sure did!" Rou congratulated, tugging you over to her much taller form and giving you a noogie. Squealing, you laughed and struggled away from her. "Congratulations, (Name)-chan. You are now an official genin of Konoha." Grinning up at her, stars were in your shining eyes as the sunlight reflected off of the Shinobi headband with the Leaf insignia on it. Hesitantly, your eyes flickered up to her and she nodded. "Go on, it's yours."

        Carefully, your hands took the headband and you tied it around your neck. "Wow, I feel really good. I just accomplished... school! I'm... I'm a Genin now!" Beaming, you grinned even wider up at her. Rou gazed at your face for a few more seconds before she broke out into a smirk, tugging your arm again. "Aw, come here, you!" Her knuckles messed up your hair and this time you allowed her to noogie you. Again. "Now, all that's left is to sort you into a team. The Hokage said that this little dilemma that you've got yourself into is very rare, so.. be grateful."

        "Yes, Rou-san."  
.  
.  
.

        "Hi! I'm Kurenai Yuhi! What's your name?" A girl with dark wavy hair and red eyes introduced, bowing politely and shaking your hand with her own pale one. "Um... (Name). Hi," you awkwardly introduced back, scratching the back of your neck. You weren't that good on introductions. A boy with tanned skin and dark hair walked up to you as well. "So you're our new teammate?" He leaned over Kurenai and poked your cheek. Pulling back, you squinted at him and shoved your thumb into your chest. "Sure am." The four of you were in the training grounds, and introductions were needed. Your new sensei hadn't shown up yet, so you were left alone with this team.

        "Cool. I'm Asuma Sarutobi." Asuma introduced, bowing and shaking your hand just as Kurenai did. The said girl leaned towards you and whispered, "He's the Third's son!" Your eyes widened and you gasped. "Really?"

        Asuma sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's really not that big of a deal..." Asuma bashfully protested, but not denying what Kurenai had said. Kurenai giggled at Asuma and Asuma furrowed his brows a little, his lips tugging into a gentle smile. Do they like each other or something? You thought, observing the two of them. It sure seems that way.

        "Who is this?" A boy with droopy eyes and a frown said, walking up to you to look you in a critical way. Your eyes flickered over both of his eyes before they were drawn to the red appendage that crossed over the bridge of his nose and face. Does he have something to hide, or does he just wear that because he wants to? You wondered, raising a brow and pursing your lips. "This is (Name)! She's our new teammate! Cool, isn't it? I was starting to get a little tired of being the only girl in this team. Good thing you came along!" Kurenai bubbled, hopping excitedly in place with a very wide smile on her features. "I'm Raido Namiashi." The droopy-eyed boy said, not bothering to really shake your hand or anything. Personally, you didn't really care either way. You had expected to be put in Obito's team, since you and him were friends and all. You didn't know any of these three kids. You have seen them a couple times around Konoha, though.

        Personally, you felt way more comfortable around the Uchiha boy. He brought out your personality more and he made you laugh. Now, you were kind of strung up about it. Once this session was over, you were going to tackle someone—probably Obito.

        When Sensei arrived, you did proper introductions and when he asked what your abilities were, you shrugged and explained in the best way you could that, "I'm strong. Stronger than normal... My strength is a kekkei genkai, although I still don't know what else comes with it." Sensei was a little more than surprised to hear this. A kekkei genkai that allowed supreme strength? How fascinating, Sensei thought. "And what are your hobbies, (Name)?" Sensei asked, quite interested in what his new student had to say. You put your finger to your lip in thought. "Uhm... I like to draw, but it's more of a way to pass time than a hobby." Sensei smiled warmly. "I see. Well, this is your new team; you'll be training with us until you become a jonin."

        "Yes, Sensei," You finished. Asuma, Kurenai, and Raido all spread out a little as Sensei cleared his throat and directed his attention to the others. "Today we'll be training in hand-to-hand combat. Now that we have an equal amount, Raido - you will go one on one with Kurenai. Asuma, you'll be partnered up with (Name). Do you all have that?"

        "Yes, Choza-sensei." They all confirmed in unison, with your meek voice intermingling with theirs. "Alright, good. While you all will be training, I'll be sitting on that log over there. Get with your partners."

        Kurenai hopped over to Raido's side and they walked over to their own part of the field, spreading out and holding their hands up with the traditional hand sign. You scrambled to get into place with Asuma, his dark eyes calculating and observing you as he held up his hand in the Seal of Confrontation with you following not too far behind. You and he stared at each other, waiting until Sensei gave the "go."

        "Three, two, one... Begin!" Sensei confirmed. No sooner than Sensei had said that, Asuma whipped out a kunai and charged at you. Your face took on a grim expression as you pulled out your own weapon and ran towards Asuma at a lightning speed.

 

        After training with your new team, you found yourself trudging down the street. During the combat session, Asuma kicked your stomach very, very hard. Just thinking about it made you shiver. Eugh... your arms wrapped around your midsection as you slouched. You wanted to go home and curl up, but, the ramen shop was spotted just up the street, and you thought that you saw Obito head into the restaurant. Alone. Forgetting the pain in your abdomen, you broke out into a sprint to get into the ramen shop. Obito was sitting at the bar in one of the stools, staring at the counter before him with a solemn gaze. Trying to pretend as if you didn't race into the shop just to talk to the Uchiha, you calmed down your breathing and exhaled, forgetting the stress resting on your shoulders and opening your eyes again.

        "Obito!" You happily exclaimed, sliding into the stool next to him. He looked surprised to see you there but he nonetheless greeted you with a grin. "How was training?" You asked, pointing at the menu when the man behind the counter questioned what you wanted. He nodded and began to make your meal as well as Obito's. The boy sighed at your question, his eyes going downcast once again. "Not good..." he murmured, sighing again. A rain cloud hovered above his head and you swatted it away, narrowing your eyes before looking back at the boy. "Why? What happened?" You asked, arching your brows in a frown. Obito took a minute to reply, and when he did, your eyes widened in surprise.

        "Why do you even care?" He asked. He didn't mean to sound so rude, but he couldn't help it. His face expressed confusion, anger, and question. Obito looked lost.

        You pursed your lips and looked away from Obito, his gaze burning into your cheek. Why did you care? You honestly didn't know. But you figured that... since no one was around to ask you if you were doing okay before you joined the Leaf, you thought that the least that you could do for your first friend was ask. You had nothing left to lose, anyway, so why not? Obito Uchiha, behind the overzealous nature, was hiding his sorrows behind a mask and you wanted to help.

        Obito, on the other hand, felt scared. He craved attention from a girl for years and now he was on the receiving end; it terrified him. He'd never gotten this before, and he felt confused. Why, he had asked himself, did you over all people care about how he felt? No one cared about who he was. Obito's life was a living hell—he was always the shadow of Kakashi Hatake and was taunted by his entire clan for having yet to activate his sharingan. Things never went his way. The girl he loved was chasing after that jerk and Kakashi didn't even like her! It made Obito want to cry like he had done so many times before. So when you showed up, ready to give him attention and worry about him, he felt like... flying.

        "... I care because... you're my friend, Obito. And from what I can tell, friends are family." Your expression was serious but loving all the same, telling everything that Obito needed to know. You weren't lying. Obito's breath was taken away from that one statement. "Family..." he mouthed, still gazing at you. You had already turned away once you received your bowl of ramen. While you were eating, Obito's mind wandered. I think... that I found another light of my life.

        "Obito, aren't you going to eat your ramen? It's going to get cold..." You prodded his ankle with your foot, jumping him out of his daze. "U—uh, yeah! I'm okay... Anyways, on Friday... do you have any plans?" He nervously asked, his eyes flickering back and forth between you and the counter. Your lips tugged upwards at his question. "Nope! Why? Do you want to hang out?"

        "Y—yeah... B—but! It's okay if you don't want to—"

        "I'd love to hang out with you, Obito-kun! After training, maybe?"

        Obito felt his whole face grin. "Yeah!"


	7. Scroll

        You were sitting with Kakashi, patiently waiting for Obito to come out of one of the shops that lined the street.

        "So... why do you wear that mask?" You asked, trying to make conversation. Kakashi and you never really got along since you were friends with Obito, and he didn't exactly like the Uchiha. That resulted in an awkward relationship between the two of you — if you could even call it a relationship. It was more or less "acquaintances." Whenever you started conversing with the silver-head, his replies were short and spaced far apart and most of the time he would only grunt to your questions and/or comments.

        It was very, very awkward.

        The reason why he was even with Obito and you — or you with him and Obito, was because Rin had gotten a cold, somehow. The weather was changing. You couldn't really blame her. So because of the uneven number in your own team, the Hokage saw it fit that you could replace Rin for a day or two in Team Minato's. Right now, your mission was to find a sort of scroll from one of the neighbor villages. The three of you couldn't find it, so it was suggested by Kakashi that "we should find leads and interrogate people." Since you didn't want to be suspicious, you and Obito argued that someone should go inside of the spooky shop across the street to try and ask around. Since you and Obito couldn't settle on who should go in, the two of you played rock, paper, scissors to decide. Fortunately, Obito lost. And he was taking forever in that shop.

        "I wear this mask because I want to." Kakashi bluntly replied, "Why don't you go bother someone else?" His eyes sneered at you. A gasp escaped your lips and you frowned at him. "Well aren't you rude? Fine!" Huffing, your feet briskly walked across the street and you slipped in through the door of the spooky antique shop. It was very hard to breathe in there; probably from all of the dust. Or the shop being so old. Either way, you lifted up the collar of your jacket and held it over your nose and mouth. The lighting was dim and there were isles upon isles of old stuff stacked upon shelves. There wasn't even enough space to walk around in between the isles, either.

        Where is that Uchiha? You thought to yourself, your eyes scanning every which way to try and find a glimpse of orange and blue, but nothing came out of it. These shelves are in the way! That's the problem! Growling to yourself, you began to get a little irritated. Where was he? He couldn't have just disappeared!

        "Psst! (Name)! Over here!"

        Whipping around, you were about to bite at Obito, had it not been for him quickly covering your mouth with his warm hand. He pulled you back behind a shelf and your eyes widened in shock. "Obito!" Your muffled voice came from behind his hand. "Shh! I found the scroll! But be quiet, or else they'll hear you."

        Slowly, Obito's hand was removed from your mouth. Your lungs inhaled deeply from the lack of being able to breathe. After a moment, you questioned, "What do you mean 'they?'" Obito was on his knees, peeking up over one of the shelves and craning his neck to see properly. There was an old lady and three men, one of which had the very scroll that they were looking for. They all looked like they would put up a good fight for whatever was in that thing. The old lady however was more than happy to greet the men and let them take the scroll.

        "There are three men that have our mission. They look like they'd fight us for the scroll…" Obito squinted.

        "Well, what's keeping us from taking it?" You dumbly asked. "Oh. Wait. Nevermind." You shyly said after Obito gave you a "didn't you just hear me?" look. You climbed up onto your knees to gaze at the men who were now moving towards a secret passageway beneath the floor. "They're going to get away!" You urgently whispered. Obito sucked in a breath. "No they're not," he determinedly growled, and, right before he made any rash actions, you snatched his hand back and yanked him back towards you. "No! Listen, what about Kakashi? This is a group mission! We can't leave him behind!"

        "I'm sure he's noticed by now that something's up—"

        "I saw everything. We need to go down there and take the scroll back. And, learn what they want with it, if able." Kakashi's sudden appearance nearly made a scream escape from your throat, had it not been for Obito's hand covering your mouth. Again. You squeezed your eyes shut and after you calmed yourself, Obito removed his hand. "How did I not hear you come into the shop?" You hissed. Kakashi's eyes narrowed — he was smirking beneath his mask. "Skill." And like that, he and Obito slithered away to slip into the hidden passageway right before the door shut on it's own. Dammit, now how were you going to help?!

        Cursing, you inhaled before lifting yourself up and pretending as if you just entered the shop. Walking up to the hunchbacked old lady, you clasped your hands behind your back like you had seen Rin do so many times in an attempt to trick the old lady that you were a sweet little girl. "Hi, ma'am," you greeted, and the old lady's only working eye looked up at you, her other blind eye a pale blue in contrast to the other one. "Hello, young lady," The old lady greeted back, "what's your name, and how can I help you?"

        "Uhm..." you paused to let your eyes wander around. They caught sight of a really old sign behind the lady which read: Buy Soap for only One Rag! (This offer is limited.)

        "Rag..." You trailed off, looking around some more. One of the shelves held a very scary amount of dusty, broken dolls, their beady eyes staring right back at you. Eugh! You made a face before it quickly vanished. "Doll... W—wait, yeah! Rag Doll! That's my name."

        "...Rag... Doll?" The old lady questioned, disbelief painted over her wrinkled features. "Y—yeah! That's my name. My... parents, thought that it would be cool to have a name like that..." You inwardly cringed at what you had just said, furrowing one of your brows and crookedly, albeit weakly, grinning.

        The old lady squinted at you.

        Sweat was pouring off of your face like a waterfall.

        The disbelief on the old lady's face deepened.

        Your eyes nervously flickered left and right.

        "WELL, um. I just wanted to buy that thing," Your hand lifted up to point at an antique cat. It was black and white, and it's little painted eyes were shut in happiness as it's head was tilted upwards. It was smaller than your palm, (which was also kinda small, considering the fact that you're eleven and almost twelve) and it had a little "collar" made of small little jewels. It was also shiny, hinting that it was probably very delicate. It also had the ability to open and close; there was a very small hinge for the ability at the glass kitty's tail. You'd probably be able to fit something small in there, but small. This antique cat wasn't even your mission, yet, you felt like... you needed to get it.

        Immediately, the old lady forgot about the stare-down and nodded. "You don't have to pay for it, Rag. No one ever gives that kitty a second glance, it deserves to be taken home for free."

        "...R—really?!" You gaped at her as you walked over to gently pick up the antique. You couldn't believe that this gorgeous antique... was never bought by anyone who came before you. "Yes'm, Rag..." The old lady mumbled, her shaky hands reaching behind the counter. Immediately, your eyes were watching her every action like a hawk. She still wasn't to be trusted; she let those men get away behind a secret passageway. I almost completely forgot about the mission, you scolded yourself as you stuffed the antique into a pocket on the inside of your jacket.

        ...Right as Obito and Kakashi burst through the door of the passageway, scroll in hand and angry shouts reverberating behind them. "LET'S GO!" Obito practically screamed, grabbing your hand and making a mad dash for the entrance of the shop with Kakashi. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY!" Two of the criminals yelled, and you frowned deeply as you stared at them over your shoulder. Kakashi, Obito, and you were still running down the street, shoving anyone who was in your way... well, out of the way. The three men were gaining ground.

        "Wait! I have an idea!" Your hand buried itself in your pouch, and jingles were heard. This village was full of thieves, homeless people, and beggars. You knew exactly how to get rid of these ruffians. With a dramatic flourish of your hand, coins flew out and into the air seemingly in slow-motion. Everyone's eyes slowly trained on the coins, and, as soon as that happened, there were hills of people blocking the way of the street behind the team of three kids. The frustrated shouts of the three older men were heard, and Obito grinned.

        "We lost 'em!" He cheered, whooping as he slapped you on the back. "Way to go, (Name)!" Blushing, you furrowed your brows and smiled. "It wasn't that big of a deal..." You mumbled, blushing at his praise. "Like hell it was! That was awesome! We got rid of 'em, now we can go home!"

        "Can you stop shouting?" Kakashi growled, "We lost them, good, we got the scroll, it's over with. Calm down." Your smile fell at his bitter attitude, and you frowned. "Sorry..." You said, avoiding eye-contact with the both of them and rubbing your neck. Obito faltered himself, and he growled at his teammate. "Hey! You don't have to be such an asshole! She did us all a favor! Those guys were probably way stronger than you, and she helped us escape! If it weren't for her, we'd be done for!"

        "Shut up!" Kakashi hissed, making you flinch. "Let's just go home. Maybe then I can get rid of my headache."


	8. Youth

        "Do you have a favorite color?"

        "No."

        "Do you have a favorite food?"

        "No."

        "Do you have a favorite animal?"

        "No." Dogs, Kakashi thought, but he pushed the thought down and replaced it with annoyance.

        "Do you..."

        "For the last time, no. No, no, no! Stop asking me dumb questions!" Kakashi growled, slamming his fist down on the bar counter. (Name) and Kakashi were currently in a restaurant, seated at one of the tables in the far back. 'How did (Name) manage to get me here?' Kakashi had internally groaned. The girl had begged him to let her take him out for something to eat, simply because he looked very tired after his daily training. He had told her over and over again that he wasn't, but he secretly was.

        (Name) also might have really wanted to know him better, considering that almost every time she was near him, girls were crowding around him and complimenting him on his looks. Even Rin did that — at least, not to his face. She tried to be more laid back about it, but it wasn't so convincing. Obito hated his guts, and liked Rin. Everything in Kakashi's life seemed like a complete disaster, mostly revolving around his two teammates. And, lastly...

        (Name) saw the same loneliness in his eyes that plagued her own. 

        She was known to be a stubborn girl, so she wouldn't stop until she became friends with him. She wouldn't, even if he found her annoying. (Name) grinned, holding her hands in her lap as she gazed at the silver-haired teen sitting across from her. She'll make Kakashi think otherwise... soon.

        The two stared at each other for a solid minute. Kakashi's eye twitched, (Name) pursed her lips.

        "You're strange." Kakashi pointed out, narrowing his onyx orbs at her. The girl let a smile tug at her lips.

        "How is that relevant?" She childishly asked.

        "It's completely relevant. You're strange."

        (Name) shrugged and sat back in her seat, still smiling widely at Kakashi. "Better to be strange than ordinary and boring," (Name) says cheekily. Her smile grew when Kakashi lost the staring contest and looked away, instead turning to gaze out the window. Under the table, (Name) was tapping her fingers. The situation had been kind of awkward, but she was still willing to go through with it. 

        "I can't believe you got me to come here with you," Kakashi mumbled.

        "I'm actually kind of surprised myself," (Name) said. Kakashi sighed through his mask and sat back in his seat. (Name) put her elbows on the counter and leaned forward a little. "You know... you really aren't that bad. That's why I'm trying to hang out with you, Kakashi." She sweetly smiled at him, furrowing her brows and making a face that was trying to get him to understand. (Name) really thought this —  even if he was kind of a jerk to her during their last mission together to retrieve that scroll with Obito. (Name) was a little lost as to what to do when it came to befriending Kakashi, so she figured that she'd just try her best anyway. Kakashi glanced at (Name), eyeing her up and down.

        "I don't need your sympathy for anything." Kakashi bitterly commented, narrowing his eyes at the girl.

        (Name) inhaled and shook her head. "I'm not giving you any sympathy. I'm trying to relate to you and I'm trying to become your friend, 'Kashi," she stressed, her eyes shining as she continued to gaze at Kakashi. He sneered under his mask and shook his head, looking back out of the window. Her stomach curled in desperation at his attitude. Would he ever relent and at least try to be a little friendly with her?

        Soon enough the both of them received their food. Kakashi didn't even try to eat until (Name) looked down, respecting his privacy. Within minutes, Kakashi's plate of fancy food was gone and she was still eating her own food. Kakashi began to slide out of the booth, but (Name) set her plate down and looked up at him. "Where are you going?"

         Kakashi held up a hand to shush her. "Nowhere," he replied, and she was a little startled at the answer. She wasn't expecting that answer. If anything, she was expecting him to leave right then and there, but he didn't.

        "What's wrong?" (Name) tried again, observing the look in his eyes. Kakashi frowned under his mask and narrowed his eyes. They rolled into the back of his head when the door to the restaurant opened.

        "KAKASHI!"

        Everyone's heads snapped over to the front, and (Name) could have sworn she heard Kakashi groan when (Name) saw who it was. "Kakashi? Who is that?" She asked, a little bit of fright in her voice as she eyed the bowl-cut, green spandex, red kerchief, and bushy eyebrows. The bushy-browed boy immediately made eye contact with her, and (Name) shyly looked away. Kakashi watched her face for a few seconds before turning his attention to the boy, who was now skipping over to their table.

        "YOU! Kakashi Hatake! I've been looking EVERYWHERE for you!"

        "Go away, Guy-"

        "AND I SEE YOU HAVE A GIRL FRIEND WITH YOU!" The boy practically exclaimed, excitedly bouncing on his feet. (Name) blushed and gaped at the boy. 

        A tick mark formed over Kakashi's temple and he growled out, "Guy."

        "Hm!" Guy absentmindedly grunted, his eyes still on (Name).

        "Who are you?" (Name) interrupted, and Kakashi sighed. Here we go.

        "I'm glad you asked!" Guy exclaimed, immediately snatching up her wrist and dragging her out of the restaurant. The girl squeaked and Kakashi's eyes looked exasperated as he followed the two out of the restaurant. "I am Might Guy! I'm Kakashi Hatake's friend!" Guy introduced, melodramatically holding his hand out for (Name) to shake. She simply stared at it before letting her eyes drift over to Kakashi in confusion, who was standing beside her. The silver haired boy only shrugged as his response.

        "You look youthful!" Guy said, rubbing his chin and observing her. (Name) looked uncomfortable. "Let's fight!"

        "Fight?!"

        "Yeah! Like a spar!"

        "No," Kakashi interrupted, "I don't think (Name) really wants to. In fact, I don't think anyone wants to spar with you." Kakashi nonchalantly said. (Name) was kind of taken aback by the rude comment, but she begrudgingly agreed with Kakashi nonetheless.

        "He's right... I don't think I want to fight with you. I'm kinda busy," she replies apologetically.

        "Well then what about tomorrow?" Guy proposed, eager to hear a positive response, but his face fell when (Name) declined that, too. 

        "I'm going to be with someone else tomorrow, also..." (Name) trails off. She had felt really bad when she saw the depressed expression on his face, so she quickly adds "...B-but! I'll.. I'll spar with you the next time I see you! Just don't try to find me for a few days." 

        Guy immediately brightened up, excitedly bouncing on his heels again. "Then I'll find you in a couple of days! Goodbye!" And with that, Guy was exuberantly running off.

        "I don't think he even knows what my name is..." (Name) trailed off, a bead of sweat tricking down her face.

        "He's weird." Kakashi stated after a few moments of silence.

        "Like me?" (Name) smirked at him. Kakashi's eyes then focused on yours.

        "Yes."

        "But you like me, anyways," she happily says, a comment to which her companion rolls his eyes at. "Kakashi..." (Name) sang, clasping her hands together by her head as she leaned on Kakashi.

        "Stop leaning on me."

      "Not until you admit that we are, in fact, friends!" (Name) wrapped her arms around Kakashi's waist as she was on her knees, refusing to let go. People walking by were staring at the two, and a flock of girls that coincidentally passed by had a look of jealousy on their faces. Kakashi blushed behind his mask and looked back down at the girl wrapped around his waist like a snake. 

        "Let go of me!" he hissed, to which the girl ignored. 

        "To be honest, I don't even really care about you admitting our friendship anymore. I just feel like hugging you now," (Name) admitted herself, burying her face in his stomach. Kakashi was taken aback at the comment. 

        Groaning, he — reluctantly — let her hug him and stopped trying to pry her off.  "Are you ever going to let go?"

        "Nope!"

        Kakashi grumbled. Another minute passed by when Kakashi looked back down at (Name). "When are you going to let go of me?" he asked, his voice coated with irritation. 

        "Probably never," (Name) answered. Kakashi squinted a little in pain when her arms squeezed. How strong was this annoying girl? 

        "Okay, okay! I... we're... friends. Will that make you let go of me?"

        "Can I hug you like this the next time I see you?" (Name) questioned, looking up at him with stars in her eyes. Kakashi sighed, closing his eyes and holding his face in his hands. He would never admit it, but this situation was really making his face heat up. Not out of infatuation, but out of shyness. This was definitely a first for him.

        "Ugh! Fine... but—"

        "YES! See you, Kakashi!" And like that, you were removing yourself from him and skipping off, instantly getting lost in the crowd of passersby. Kakashi slapped a hand over his face and shook his head a couple of times before walking off himself.


	9. Loyalty

        "I just don't get it! How do you do that?" (Name) asked, curiosity heavily coated in her words. Obito and her were in a little ice cream shop, waiting for their order. They finally got around to hanging out like they had planned, and they found themselves in a little mini diner in the village. The boy was sitting across from her at the small table, balancing the spoon on his nose. Obito's crossed eyes were focusing on the spoon and he was giving an open-mouthed grin. "A good magician never reveals his secrets," he said. It was clear that he was on the brink of laughter; (Name)'s face was priceless at his remark.

        "But that looks so fun!" (Name) pouted out her lip and narrowed her eyes at the Uchiha boy. Finally, laughter burst from him and the spoon fell onto the table with an obnoxious clink! and he was doubling over the counter. (Name) blinked at him. "What's so funny?"

        "Here, I'll show you how to do the thing." Obito offered as he raised his head, his cheeks painted a soft pink from his giggle-fit. (Name) raised a brow in confusion, "Didn't you just say that a good magician never reveals his secrets?"

        Obito sighed, but a smile was still wide on his features. "Here," He began. He reached across the table and grabbed your spoon. The boy held it up to (Name)'s face and when she flinched back, he tsk'ed. "Stay still, or it won't work. Your spoon kept falling off because you kept moving every time you tried this." (Name) pouted, but otherwise let him tilt her chin up and set the spoon on her nose. Then, as carefully as ever, he pulled away to make sure it didn't fall this time.

        "Ohmygosh! Obito! I'm doing it!" The girl cheered, her hands instinctively being held close to her face in case the spoon fell again. Obito grinned, his eyes roaming all over her face. (Name)'s smile is really pretty, he thought. But then his eyes widened, and he looked away from the girl. No! No it's not. It's not, it's not. Obito shook his head and furrowed his brows. For a solid minute, he thought about nothing. His mind was completely blank. His mind betrayed him, then. Well... I'm just acknowledging that she's a pretty girl. There's no harm in that. It's okay, Obito. But then he let his eyes wander outside, to the people walking through the street, the children skipping around their parents, the ninja taking slow walks down the corner while having an in-depth discussion about something. Obito couldn't let his mind wander. (Name) was a friend. He couldn't let himself stray from Rin-- she was his life! He loved her. Rin has healed his cuts and scrapes many times before. She's sent smiles his way. The sparkle in her eyes, her beautiful brown hair; everything about Rin was perfect.

        "Obitooo? Hey! Obito! Are you in there?" Said boy snapped out of his trance when he realized that (Name) was waving her hand in front of his face. "Uh-- yeah? What?" He dazedly asked. (Name) sighed and pointed at her spoon. "I couldn't keep it on my nose as long as you. I guess you win this round!"

        "Oh! Yeah... sure..." Obito's mind wandered yet again to Rin. (Name) discreetly rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. After a moment of Obito still not snapping out of his daze, (Name) slid out of her seat and went up to the bar in the front of the shop and grabbed her's and Obito's ice creams. They were both vanilla and were in cups- they could probably just ditch this place and go somewhere else with their ice cream. (Name) carefully wrapped some napkins around both cups to avoid freezing her hands and walked back over to the table. She kicked Obito's foot. "Hey, Obito. Our ice creams are done, let's go," she said.

        The boy's head snapped over to lock eyes with (Name)'s. She held out his ice cream and skipped out of the shop without him, urging him to hurry up. It was only early afternoon-- they had to make the most of today! "Hey! Wait up!" Obito exclaimed as the ding! of the shop's door went off and he was practically tripping to catch up with the girl. "You gotta stop being such a slow poke, then!" She grinned, and let Obito chase her through the crowd, just barely avoiding his ice cream being dropped to the ground.

 

        Laughter resounded around the two friends, blushes painting their cheeks. Obito and (Name) were laying down in a grassy field, staring up at the cloudless blue sky above. Obito's arms were by his sides, and (Name)'s hands were folded over her tummy. It had been two hours since before, and they had done nothing but talking and joking alike ever since then.

        (Name) sighed out her happiness, a silly smile still plastered over her features. Obito was her first friend. The sentence repeated over and over throughout her mind. This was fine. She could stay like this for an eternity if she wanted. But she knew that she couldn't.

        "You know..." Obito began. '...What are you going to do when you're older?" It was an odd question-- and he knew it. But he was just making conversation. Sort of. Obito was actually very curious to know what she wanted to do in her future days. (Name)'s eyes flickered to the single, white cloud that hung low over the village. When did that get there? "I'm not sure." She honestly answered, her expression going from happy to partly solemn. "I always thought that once I got older, everything would be laid out for me. But I guess... once I came here, that viewpoint sort of.. changed." She looked away from the cloud and turned to gaze at the boy beside her. "What about you?"

        "Huh?" Obito questioned. "Me?" A nod from (Name).

        Obito gazed at her for a few moments before he eventually looked away from her piercing stare and went to gaze up at that same cloud hanging overhead. "When I'm older, I want to become stronger than Kakashi, become Hokage, and get Rin to fall in love with me. Maybe, I'll let you become my second-in-command!" Obito's face brightened. "I'll be so much more stronger than that Hatake; I'll have him kissing my feet."

        "Doesn't that sound kind of... I don't know..." (Name) furrowed her brows. "...well, no. Nevermind." She ignored Obito's stare.

        "To be truthful, Obito... I'm not completely bound to this village. It's still as foreign to me as the sunny weather and ice cream. But at the same time, my loyalties don't lie outside of the village, either. I mean... there's only one thing that I'm loyal to here." (Name) turned to lock eyes with Obito. "The Hokage?" Obito questioned, one brow raised. The two held eye contact for a few more seconds, her eye's going downcast a little. "Yeah... the hokage." She trailed off, sighing. It wasn't the hokage that she was loyal to. It was perfectly obvious where her loyalties lay. After all, he was her first friend. (Name) didn't want to get rid of him, nor he get rid of her. She was deathly scared of that happening.

        "Sometimes," (Name) inhaled, "I wonder why you even bothered to befriend me in the first place."

        Obito sat up straight after that statement. He looked straight down at the girl and with (Name) being (Name), she crumbled under his stare and looked away. "How could you say that?" Obito asked, his eyes widening at her. "It's just... I mean, I'm... me. And you're, well... you..." She finished weakly, covering her mouth in embarrassment.

        "(Name), you're one of my only friends. I don't think that I'm going to get rid of you anytime soon, okay? Always remember that. ...Sometimes, even I don't know why you're friends with ME!" He chuckled and let out a sigh shortly afterwards. "When we're older, I'm going to make sure that you get respect."

        (Name) blushed at that comment. "Well... when I'm older, I'm going to make sure that you become Hokage." She smiled and patted Obito's back. "C'mon, let's get back. I don't want to stay out too late. Later, do you want to mess around with Kakashi?"

        Obito grinned. "Yes!"


	10. Bound

              In the span of only some months, everything changed for forever.

        The next Great Ninja War had begun. You fought. You nearly died many times. You risked your skin going to protect your team. But the worst of all?

        The day that Kakashi and Rin came back without Obito.

        The two looked fatigued when they came back, their clothes ripped and dirtied. Everyone was happy that they came back safely, but you were the first to ask the duo.

         "... Where's Obito-kun...?"

        "Obito is dead," Kakashi had answered. 

        "How?" You whispered, and Kakashi quietly filled in on the news in the privacy of your home. You couldn't bare to hear anymore. So without any further ado, you forced Kakashi out of your home and locked yourself within the apartment for days. 'A cowardly way to admit defeat,' you thought to yourself over and over again, but you couldn't handle it. The news was too much. 

        Obito Uchiha, your closest friend, was gone.

        Not too soon afterwards, Rin died too. You begged Kakashi to tell you how it happened, but the teen wouldn't even let out so much as a whisper about her death. He ignored you.

        After this, you had begun to distance yourself from everyone. Without Obito, the one person who tied you to Konoha, what was your being here? How could you keep up? Obito was the only light that shined in your short, lonely life. He was the one that made you laugh. He was the one that visited you all the time. He was the one that...

        You held up your wrist and scanned the bracelet that he made all by himself. In the carving, it read, "Remember." You weren't sure what it meant, but to him, he knew the meaning. Maybe, in time, you'll find out. He had told you, as he wrapped it around your wrist, "a thank you for being there for me." Now that he was gone, you would never take it off.

        But he was dead.

        Which, in turn, is what brought you to walking straight out of Konoha at three in the morning, with clouds everywhere in sight, masking the moon and making the sky much darker than it had been. No one would tell when you left, only that you were gone.

    'How would Kakashi feel?' you wonder as you run through the village gates, making sure no one could see you as you passed by.  
      
        First, it would be your teammates, Kurenai, Raido, and Asuma. They'd notice your late absence for training tomorrow. Then, they'd knock on your door. They would assume that you were sick, so they would let you be. Then, Kakashi would come. If you didn't answer, he'd hop through your window and check your house. You wouldn't be there. Kakashi would look all over the village for you, until he looked everywhere else. No traces.

        Except for this.

        You ripped the headband from your neck once you were three hours away from the village. With shaky hands, you held up a kunai as tears formed in your eyes.

        SHING!

        In a burst of anger, you violently threw the scarred headband at a nearby tree. The force of the impact made the headband dent and fall to the ground — the sudden sound scaring you for a brief moment. You'd let someone find the headband. You weren't truly bound to the village and it wasn't your birthplace, so why keep it on you? It was a pointless effort.

        Furiously at rubbing your eyes, you scowled at the headband before readjusting the pack on your back and jumping from tree to tree with a new sense of purpose.

        You were no longer shackled by the Leaf Village. You were your own free person again, and no one could tell you what to do. Feeling accomplished, you leaped faster and faster through the canopies.

        It was nearly a week later when Kakashi had found your headband with Minato, which had been caked in mud. He knew it was yours, because on the corner of the metal, it had a nick in the material from when Guy accidentally landed a kunai on it instead of his destined target. Kakashi wanted to look more for you, but Minato said that it was no use.

        "She isn't apart of the Leaf now, Kakashi. I'm sorry we couldn't get her back when she was still here. I know you want to keep on searching, but it's been a week and at this point it's unlikely she's still inside village borders. This isn't your fault," Minato tells Kakashi, aware that the truth behind his words would sting the teen harshly. Minato puts a comforting hand on Kakashi's back before slowly leading the distraught boy back to the gates.


	11. Presence

        It was a whole year after you became a rogue ninja. Usually, you spent your time lounging around and passing through villages. Whenever you saw the Leaf insignia on a ninja's headband you would immediately ditch the place. You wouldn't go back. Never.

        Sometimes, only sometimes, you would wonder about your team. What were their whereabouts? Was Kurenai doing okay? But then your mind would remind yourself that you actually didn't care. You didn't want to, either. To be a rogue nin, you'd have to sever all ties. That means that you couldn't think about that team anymore. You never really cared about them all that much, anyway. But then again, you found yourself wondering about Kakashi, too, despite your previous thinking.

        "He's okay, he can handle himself." You mumbled under your breath. But what about Kurenai, Asuma, Raido, and even Sensei? Guy, as well? ... As much as you refused to admit, you really missed Kurenai and Asuma. They were so sweet to you. Asuma proved to be a good sparring parter; he helped sharpen your combat skills, as well as your social skills, even. Asuma was such a kind boy, and now you didn't have that anymore. Kurenai... She was someone that you would miss, too. Her bubbly, but determined personality, her kindness and sweet nature was something that you would really want back in your life. Guy; you kinda did miss his spark, too. Maybe one day, you would spar with him like he wanted for so long.

        You were sitting under a tree by the river and sharpening a kunai. The bracelet that you wore on your left wrist kept making dull jingly sounds whenever your arm made sudden movements. Your (e/c) eyes kept getting caught on the accessory, breath baited as you drew the river stone over the kunai once again. Water coated your hands from the wet rock, and in turn made the kunai handle slippery, as well.

        Jingle.

        Your eyes briefly flickered over to the stone gliding over the blade and back again to the bracelet.

        Jingle.

        Slowly, your brows furrowed and your eyes became half-lidded as you stared at it. Obito. Obito. Obito.

        Jingle.

        Obito Uchiha!

        SHING!

        "Ah!" You exclaimed, blood spilling over your hand and dripping down your fingers. A long, thick line traced over from the ball of your thumb to the underside of your ring finger. Out of impulse your hand loudly dropped the stone and kunai, the weapons landing on the wet grass with a dull thud. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" You cursed in a hushed tone. Hurrying over to the river, you plunged your hand into the water and immediately withdrew at the searing pain coming from your hand due to the water sinking into the gash.

        Sucking in a breath, you carefully dipped your hand back into the lukewarm water once again. The dark blood followed the current down the river, your eyes following the trail. Rarely did you ever injure yourself before Konoha. This was a first.

        After a few moments, you pulled your hand back out of the current and scanned the injury. Blood began to seep back out of the wound. "Yikes, yikes, yikes," you quietly hissed, hurriedly reaching into your pack and blindly reaching in. It wasn't like you could touch your backpack with a bloodstained hand, right? Shuffling sounds came from your pack as you searched for a solid minute, checking each pocket three times.

        "I... I forgot to bring alcohol!" The striking realization came out as a shaky whisper of shock. This couldn't be good. The wound was deep enough that it needed stitches and guess who didn't have a needle and thread, either? You couldn't be treated by any doctors in the villages because, well... you weren't a citizen of either of them. Gauze and river water was the only thing that the wound could rely on. Oh no... Hoping that by the end of the night you could find something to nurture your hand, you hastily wrapped your palm in gauze and hoped for the best.

 

        The wound didn't get any better. If anything, it got worse. It wouldn't stop bleeding and it felt swollen. A burning sensation had taken up your arm. And by the end of the night, when you were going to sleep, the sudden pain of fire shooting up your arm shot fear into your system. You were going to die, you were going to die, you were going to die! You just knew it!

        Calm down, (Name), your more logical side had said. It hurts, but you can get through it. Tomorrow when you wake up you can go to the nearest village and just... steal some medical supplies. It's your best bet. Don't let yourself get caught, lest you end up on wanted posters. You don't want that. But... your arm was hurting! You cringed at the intensity of the pain. Your hand was barely able to bend at the fingers. As the moon hung high in the sky, you carefully unwrapped the bandages to peek at the slice. Immediately you cringed back at the sight of yellow and purple flesh, pus oozing out of your palm.

        "Ah!" You squeaked, "I have to go, now! I can't wait!" And like that, you were gone with your things towards the nearest town. Nearly everyone was asleep, so this could be a fairly easy task. In and out, in and out.

 

 

        You successfully retrieved the supplies, dashing away from the village and seeking sanctuary in a tall tree afterwards. The healing of your wound took nearly a week or so, and you almost got fever. This never happened before. (Lies. The vague memory of eating non-edible berries at the age of eight still plagued you; the sour taste was still strong in your mind and the retching after that still haunted your mind at times.) Never again, you shuddered.

        Other than tripping on your own feet sometimes, you were still pretty much safe on your own. You went through ninja school, so you were many times over more educated about the "outside world" than you were before. But, you have experienced the "outside world" before on your own; many times, in fact, before the Leaf Village. (Remember that time that you swung a tree at a group of teenagers that were bullying you? Your mind reminded you, and you groaned.) You would do it again, if need be. You weren't scared.

        ... You had to admit, though... at times, whether it be at the break of dawn or late into the night, you would feel a presence... watching you. Observing. It made you a little paranoid because whenever you went to investigate, you always found nothing. Never a trace of any being whatsoever that was spying on you. What was it, then? Was it just your imagination?

                

 

        "(Month of Birth) (Day of Birth), (Month of Birth) (Day of Birth), (Month of Birth) (Day of Birth)..." Your birthday had been uttered several times today. It was the only way to keep you sane without any socialization whatsoever. Being a rogue ninja was tough. Kakashi was bound to know about your orientation now. You knew that he saw your headband - the single, jagged line curving down the Leaf insignia.

        With your back on a rock and your legs crossed, arms folded beneath your head like a pillow, you stared into the orange light shining on your closed eyelids, the sunlight practically baking your front. You were humming a lullaby that Rin had sung to you... once. It was when she was allowed to have a sleepover at your home one night; the thrill of being only two young girls together with no adults to boss you around was wonderful. The two of you almost stayed up all night talking to each other and joking back and forth. Until Guy crashed it. Who knew how that boy got into your locked apartment.

        "I FOUND YOU, (NAME)! I WANT TO FIGHT NOW!" Guy exclaimed, pointing at you as Rin painted your nails a pretty shade of purple. (Her favorite color.) He failed to notice her, however. A little uncomfortable, you mumbled, "Er... Guy, it's three o'clock in the A.M. I'm not going to fight you right now." Rin was a little confused at the sudden outburst, shocked herself as to how the youthful boy got into your home. She watched you lock all three of those locks on the front door and the back. And anyways, you always kept your windows sealed, so those shouldn't have been a problem.

        Let's just say that Guy was devastated when you confessed that you weren't going to fight him, ever. He cried anime tears as he moped out of your home, proceeding to lock the doors again as he walked out. What great memories. A light smile crossed over your face.

        Snap!

        A gasp escaped your mouth as you shot up from your relaxed position on the boulder to let your eyes quickly observe your surroundings several times over. Nothing. "Who's there?" You called out, lips pursed in all seriousness. Standing up from your sitting position, you stared directly into the shadows of the direction from which the twig snap came from. No movements caught your eye at all. Puffing out your cheeks in apprehension, you tensely and slowly sat back down, your eyes still fixed on that particular area. The presence that was once there was gone.

        How odd.


	12. Presence // 2

        After Rin died, Obito made a promise that he'll sacrifice anything to get the world that he wanted, so that one day he can be reunited with the girl. It was a tragic death for the Nohara, as well as a tragic outburst from Obito on that foggy day. He snapped.

        But then, he reminded himself. "(Name) is still alive. She isn't in the Leaf anymore, so I can keep better watch over her." And Obito followed through with that statement. The teenager wouldn't allow the same thing to happen to the only other person alive that cared about him. So, at times, he would come to check on the girl to make sure that she was doing okay. He knew that as a believed dead person, he couldn't just jump out of the canopy and yell, "I'm alive, it was all a scam!" But, Obito couldn't.

        Currently, the boy was sitting behind a tree. You, on the other hand, were laying down on a rock where the sunlight reflected off your features. He studied your (almost) peaceful features - they were more nostalgic than anything. Obito missed the conversations between you two very dearly. He missed you. What hurt him the most was that you thought he was gone when he wasn't - Obito was here, with you, practically twenty or thirty feet away. The Uchiha let out a soft sigh.

        "Obito!" (Name) whispered, her cheeks puffed out as she tried to conceal her laughter. The girl was in the bookstore, leaning against one of the bookshelves, peeking through a slot where a book should have been on a low shelf. Obito was with her just out of happenstance - he had been looking for her and saw her in the window of the shop before he entered and joined her search for a certain book that she had wanted.

        Obito, with his back to her, one hand on his hip and the other with his pinkie in his ear, suddenly jumped at the feeling of a light poke in his side. With quite an odd sound coming out of him, Obito whirled around to stare at (Name) with wide eyes. "Shh!" She hissed, one finger up to her lips as she pointed at the small peek-hole in between the books from her squatting position.

        Obito joined the girl, his thighs brushing up against hers as their temples pressed together so that both of them could peek through the slot at the same time. There, in the next section over, was Kakashi. And which section was this?

        The "adult" section.

        "What the hell is Kakashi doing in that isle?" Obito whispered, his jaw tickling (Name)'s cheek. Her hand came to grip Obito's knee as support so that she didn't fall over with him pressing into her side. "I don't know..." She answered, her eyes squinting at the silverette. Kakashi stood there for a few more moments with his index finger tapping against his cheek before he stretched up to grab an orange cover.

        "That book looks dumb," Obito snarked, and you could help but let a stressed giggle come from your lips. Kakashi quickly turned around to see what the noise was, his dark eyes coming to flicker down the bookshelf. And behind the isle, Obito and (Name), as quick as lightning, covered the peek-hole with more books so that you wouldn't be caught. For a few more seconds, Kakashi made sure that he wasn't being stared at before flipping the book over so that he could look at the title.

        Waiting a few more moments, Obito slowly removed the two thick books so that (Name) and he could look back at his teammate. His eyes widened immediately after as he looked at the cover.

        "IS THAT A PORNO?!" He said a little too loudly, and Kakashi phased out of sight. The duo panicked after that. "Obito! He heard you! He's going to kill us!" (Name) whisper-screeched, her hands flying to slap onto either side of her face. "Obito! Look at what you did!"

        "I didn't mean to!" The boy stressed, the area over his eyes going a shade of purple out of fear. Then, two hands, one on Obito's left shoulder and the other on (Name)'s shoulder, gripped them. Hard. Obito's and (Name)'s hair fluffed up in fear like a cat.

        "Hey." Kakashi's voice said in between their heads, the duo's eyes wide and dilated. "What are you two doing here?"

        "W-we, I was helping Obito find a book that he..." (Name) trailed off, her words jumbling together. Obito, in a panic, finished for her. "Wanted to get for you!" Obito said a little too fast, his hand grabbing the first thing that his hand met contact with. It also happened to come from Kakashi's hand. That object was the book that Kakashi grabbed.

        "THIS!" Obito said, sweat coming down his face like a waterfall. The orange book reflected in Kakashi's dark orbs. "I didn't know that you read that stuff," Kakashi said, not falling for the whole thing one bit. His eyes were narrowed at the two of them.

.

.

        "RUN!" (Name) screeched, snatching Obito's hand up in hers and flinging the two of them out of the shop and running down the street. A cloud of dust followed after them, and Kakashi watched as he held his now purchased novel. After the two disappeared, Kakashi let his eyes wander down to the book. Flipping to the first page, a concealed blush covered his cheeks.

        Obito sighed. At least whenever he thought of (Name), a spark shown behind his eyes that he thought to have been extinguished. He remembered many times when the two would mess around, goofing off and overall having fun. It was wonderful. (Name) was the one person that wasn't impure, in his book. But just seeing (Name) as a rogue ninja made him angry.

        What happened to the promise that Kakashi made?

        When a foreign sound met his ears, Obito readjusted his sitting position so that he could peek around the tree and gaze at you. Is she... singing? Obito questioned himself, his eye widening under the mask. Your singing was beautiful. It made Obito's stomach flip and his heart start racing at the melodic tune that you sang. With the boy on his knees and his hands pressed up against the bark, he leaned in more and more, craving your melody to drown his mind.

        But then, he slipped.

        Obito half-hung off of the large branch and his eye became panicked behind the mask. Shit! He cursed as one of the smaller sticks fell from the branch and landed onto the leafy ground below.

        "Who's there?" Your voice called out, but he was already phasing away before you could spot him.


	13. Release

        THUNK!

        "Son of a bitch!" You cursed, accidentally slamming your entire body into a fairly large tree. This was the fifth time since you started practicing! This gravity.... kekkei genkai, whatever, was really starting to get on your nerves. How were you ever supposed to become better if you were total garbage at this technique? At the young adult age of seventeen, you thought it best to train yourself with your kekkei genkai and your lightning element. 

        Practice, your mind echoed. "Shut up, brain," you growled, prying yourself from the tree. Your gravity release was out of control. You didn't know how to use it properly, resulting in you slamming into the nearest object in the immediate vicinity several times. Your center of gravity kept locking onto random objects and when that happened, your body would fly through the air, the specific object sucking you towards it like a vacuum. Your front was throbbing from all of the times that you had hit onto many other boulders, trees, and even the ground.

        "Stupid kekkei genkai," you hissed, fully prying yourself from the tree, only to fall down several feet from the air and hit the ground on your back with a very loud thud. The breath that you had tried to get into your lungs mid-fall escaped, and fighting for breath, you climbed back up onto your hands and knees with your face twisted in pain.

        "How am I supposed to get this release to focus?!" You whined, holding your throbbing head in your hands. You relaxed your body after several long minutes, stopping your release from severely injuring you again. Sighing heavily, you thought, If I mastered this release, I'd be so much stronger than I already am. But how?! I haven't met anyone before with this type of... Frustrated, you drew out another long, irritable groan. (E/c) eyes rolled up to gaze at the dusky sky.

        "Asuma Sarutobi! I wanna fight!" Your younger twelve-year-old self exclaimed, shoving your index finger into the tanned boy's face. "Wha-? You want to fight?" Asuma questioned, eyes bulging out of their sockets a little bit. He hadn't ever expected you to ask him this; especially after that one incident where he hit you a little too hard on the head. Ever since then, you sparred with Kurenai or Raido.

        "Yes! And I want to do it with you!" You said louder, hopping back several paces to get into your fighting stance. Asuma gazed at you for a few more seconds before he snapped out of his stupor. "Fine. Let's fight!" He shouted, raising a kunai and pointing it at you.

        Smirking, you narrowed your eyes at the Sarutobi. "We'll see who wins."

        It hadn't even been five minutes before you stupidly decided to yourself, "I'm going to throw a kunai using my gravitational release!" And you did. You held it back before flinging it at the older boy. What surprised the both of you was when it swerved right back like a boomerang, heading straight for you instead. A scream had ripped through your throat after it launched itself right into your thigh.

        Yeah. Totally not a good day. You could recall another time, when you were about to throw a punch at Obito while the rest of Team Minato and the rest of your own team were observing a little ways away. The two sensei's had thought that it would be nice to do it by the lake, since it was a very hot day.

        "I'm gonna hurt you so bad," You grinned, popping your knuckles. Obito was a few feet away from you and stretching out his back, physically preparing himself. In the background, Kakashi said, "Great. The two clumsiest people I know are going against each other."

        "I heard that, Hatake!" Obito shouted out in anger. "Good!" Kakashi yelled back at his teammate, only to make a hmph! noise when Minato got onto his case for calling out insults.

        "Alright, I'm ready." Obito said after a few moments, holding his hand up in front of his face. You did the same, and let out a baited breath. "Okay. In three..."

        "Two..."

        "ONE!" You exclaimed, leaping at Obito with a kunai in hand. Obito dodged your attack, following by you blocking a punch that was aimed for your stomach. "Not bad," you panted slightly, sliding under Obito and gripping his ankle. With force, you yanked the boy down, forcing him to fall down onto his front. The Uchiha rolled over before he was punched in the back, hopping right back onto his feet.

        With kunai's raised, the two of you blocked each other's blows with the knives.

        Shing!

        Shang!

        "Wow," Kurenai bubbled up from her place with her team, "(Name)'s really improved since the leg incident," she said. Asuma blinked at the wavy-haired girl beside him before his eyes returned to the full-blown kunai-fight in front of them. "It looks like it."

        SHING! Obito successfully knocked the weapon from your hand, the kunai landing in the wet sand with a sloshy thud. A little breathless, you scowled at the Uchiha. As Obito advanced on you, you spread your feet apart a bit. "I'm not letting you win!" You shouted, roundhouse kicking your friend in the face using your gravity release. From the cracking sound that came from Obito's jaw, you guessed... you might have kicked him a little too hard. "Agh!" He grunted out in pain. Obito was kicked so hard that the impact made him trip and fall into the lake on his side. But, what you hadn't expected was for you to trip on your own feet and land into the lake as well.

        Muffled shouts came from the shore, and before you could drown, you very quickly swam back up to the surface. "Guh!" You gasped, fighting to get air back into your lungs. With squeezed shut eyes, you coughed out water, the liquid mixing with your saliva and trickling down your chin. Arms thrashing and legs kicking, you fought to keep yourself afloat. You were still new to the concept of swimming, so you were still scrappy at the skill.

        "(Name)! Are you okay?!" Sensei exclaimed from the shoreline, his hands cupped over his mouth so that you could hear him better. Not taking the time to answer, your fists vigorously rubbed your eyes to clear them of any water. Immediately you searched over the lapping waves, your eyesight just barely catching the sight of Obito nursing his very bruised jaw. Rin was crouched in front of him, her deft fingers gently prodding at the purple, foot-shaped bruise. Your heart sank at the sight of the injury - that you caused, and on Obito, no less.

        Raido and Asuma, on orders from Sensei, came to get you out of the lake. By the time they had gotten to you, your lungs were drowned with lake water and Asuma had to force it out of you with Sensei's help.

        You remembered repeating the words "I'm sorry" to Obito for two whole weeks until his bruise disappeared. Only then, Obito had realized why the Hokage wanted you for the Leaf. Deciding not to question, Obito (begrudgingly) accepted your apology.

        "I don't want to suck at this anymore!" You growled, eyes furious and glinting.

        With a new ambition, you leaped towards a large tree and began to throw punches at the bark with your bare hands. Gradually, you increased the control of your release and the blows towards the poor tree became more and more brutal. The canopy that was the tree shook after each hit, the leaves falling down in a large circle around the stump. The sound of shaking leaves became very loud after about an hour.

        THWAK!

        The tree was so mauled that the force of the punches and kicks couldn't keep the plant stable anymore. With a heavy, slow, and lumbering sound, the tree collapsed on it's side, it's canopy coming last and landing with very loud noises. The leaves shook like waves lapping against a seashore.

        Heavy breaths escaped you, your shoulders shaking. The fists that you used against the tree were raw and bloody, small rivers trickling down your relaxed fingers and dripping into the grass under your feet. "I'm... not," you swallowed your dry mouth. "Going... to... let... myself, ...go... untrained," and like that, you collapsed onto your front, your eyes shutting. Blackness filled your mind until you couldn't think anymore. You had passed out.

 

        A few weeks after your brutal self-inflicted training with the gravity release, you wanted to try something else.

        The heavy rain felt like bullets piercing your skin. As you glared up at the dark, cloudy sky, you pursed your lips. Flashes of blue and white happened every now and then - the rumbling of thunder kept going off, but not once had lightning struck the ground. Not once.

        "Hurry up and give me some lightning!" You impatiently said, still giving a dead-set glare at the sky above your head.

        BOOM! The loud sound of thunder close by startled you momentarily. This is what you wanted, you couldn't wimp out now. "You can do this, (Name)," you chanted, breaths escaping your lips in harsh whispers. "You can do this."

        A flash of blinding white filled your vision. The very loud crackle of the lightning deafened you, a very loud ringing filling your head. As more lightning struck, you felt a little amazed at the sight. With no ability to hear for a few minutes, you were finally able to see the lightning striking without flinching.

        CRACK!

        As quick as the lightning itself, you raised your index and middle finger, catching the lightning at your fingertips. Features twisting in intense pain, sweat intermingled with the rain as it fell down your forehead. The shocking pain of the lightning surged through your entire body. It was excruciating. With a scream, you released the lightning from your hand and flew back several paces. With a very tight grip, your hand held the injured one and you laid your forehead down onto the ground as you gasped out your small cries. With no-one to teach you how to fully master this, you guessed that you'd have to learn this on your own. The gravity release was one thing - lightning was a whole other story.

        "Dammit," You quietly cried out. "This is a lot harder than I thought..."

        Day after day.

        Night after night.

        Week after week.

        Month after month.

        You practiced... and practiced... and practiced. You had to admit, you had gotten better. Considerably so. It was getting to the point where you were almost proud of your skills as a rogue. You mastered the "center of gravity" part for the gravity release throughout the time span of about four years. As for the lightning... well, you still had to practice on that.


	14. Illusory

        "Hoy," you exhaled, wiping the sweat off your brow with the back of your hand. A huff of breath left your lips when you entered the small obscure village – this wouldn't be too hard. You just hoped that you could sleep here for the night, then just leave. Nothing is more troublesome than having some twerp scream out, "It's her!" whenever they saw your face. Yes – three years have passed. At the young adult age of twenty you were more than known in obscure villages as a thief. Some had even witnessed you permanently silence a person for their money – and Dear Reader, it's already self–explanatory with what you did to those witnesses with you being a criminal and all. Skills had been sharpened and so did your intellect; you had become a very skilled ex–ninja since those days.

        "Hello." Your voice had matured and as time went on through those three years, your 'blank' face had been perfected as well. Standing in front of the lady at the desk, she blearily blinked her owlish eyes at you. She seemed to be uncomfortable, for you were subtly leaning over her; a practice of intimidation. It seemed to be working so far. "...Hi. Do you... uhm, need a room to stay in?" She quietly said. A moment ago she had made eye-contact with your shadowed eyes and after that experience, she refused to lock eyes with you again. This woman is very jumpy, you thought after slapping your gloved hand onto the counter – you hadn't meant to scare her that time. Sleep deprivation and an uncomfortably hungry stomach was making you a little irritable, so you weren't exactly to blame. It's that damn group of men that tried to capture me for a measly bounty a couple hours ago. Huffing, you looked back at the woman's face and leaned in a little. "Miss, can you please hurry up? I have something that I need to do." Sleep.

        "Uh – Oh! Um, yes! Of course. I'm terribly sorry, it was completely – " The woman silenced after seeing your expression. It practically screamed 'hurry the hell up!' You had to leave first thing in the morning. Nothing could lag you behind.

        After giving the appropriate fees and swapping keys, you trudged your way up the stairs and down the hallway on the second floor of the small hotel. Distaste tugged at your lip as you eyed the walls - paint chipping, mold seeping its way up from the floor, subtle stains here and there. Disgusting. Judgmental of you, yes, well – no. Not really. This was seriously a health hazard. People really sleep here for more than a single night? No, your conscience thought. Otherwise this place would probably have more money to fix up these horrid walls.

        Unlocking temporary door, you refrained from touching the doorknob with your single bare hand. Disgust curled your expression and you furrowed your brows as you tentatively touched the circular object with only the tip of your gloved fingers before twisting it and pushing open the door. Coughs escaped your throat at the odd smell and dust that was suddenly sent flying at the door being moved. "Ew!" It escaped your lips before you could stop it – it was the truth. This room was...

        On instinct to stop the smell from invading your nostrils again, you pulled up the collar of your jacket over the bridge of your nose. "I'm not staying here for the night." You growled under your breath. (E/c) eyes scanned all over the bedroom. Even the bed had a coat of dust over the doonas. Absolute refusal took over your expression as you took a step into the hotel room but not before shutting the door. "You know what I'm gonna do?" You said to yourself, "I'm gonna open up this-- window," the windowpane snapped open after a bit of strain. "And I'm gonna jump out of this building, and I'm gonna sleep in that tree. Damn that foolish idea to hell if I'm going to sleep in those conditions. No way."

        You leaped from the window and latched your hands onto the closest branch before hauling yourself up. "Ngh..." you grunted, panting a little from the exertion. Your muscles were very tired. Limbs aching and sweat forming over your brow, you forced yourself to find a more safe spot on the tree. "Almost there, (Name). You got this – agh!" With a heavy sigh, you collapsed at the particular 'safe' spot and shut your eyes.

 

        When you opened your eyes again (which wasn't too long after) you were already walking out of the hotel with your small amount of possessions. Whenever you passed a stranger you could feel their eyes on you. It was unnerving, but you forced yourself to ignore it nonetheless and keep on your way.

        "Mommy! She's a ninja! I wanna become a ninja when I'm older!"

        "Baby, ...she doesn't look like a ninja... no – stay away – !"

        A young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes hopped in front of you, effectively blocking your path. A grin took up his whole face and you awkwardly looked away from the seven year old. "Hi! What's your name? Are you a ninja?!" The boy had stars in his eyes. It was almost... heart-warming. Expression still flat, you slowly blinked at him, hinting that you were a little irritated. "Move on, boy," you grunted, "Listen to what the woman says." Your gloved hand shoved his head out of your way and he squeaked, falling into his mother's arms. "Hey! Don't touch my child that way!" She exclaimed, two protective arms draped over his chest and head. The boy's small hands held onto the arm that clung to his chest in an almost frightful manner.

        Eyes going half-lidded, you turned back around to face the two, cocking your hip out. The mother's exclamation caused most of the people passing by to stop in their tracks to watch the exchange, their eyes a little fearful. Some even recognized your face from that wanted poster stuck up on the wall opposite to you. "I don't care about your child. Go away." Rolling your eyes as you turned back around, a grunt escaped your lips at the feeling of a stone meeting your shoulder. Your (e/c) eyes scanned the street for the one responsible, finding a boy that looked around fifteen with his other hand grasping for another stone. "Don't touch my little brother!" He yelled, flinging another stone in your direction. Hand whipping out in front of you, the kunai in your palm skillfully deflected the attack with a loud and sharp sound. The stone fell to your feet and you huffed.

        Great. Now look at what you did, (Name). More notoriety. But what really stumped you, here, was the scene before you. The sight of a sibling and a mother defending their kin was a very foreign thing to you. Almost... alien. It honestly caught you off-guard. That hasn't ever happened to you before, in a relative case. Before you could spread anymore commotion in that street, you skillfully leaped up atop a building roof and hopped from structure to structure before you eventually escaped the village.

        "Great, great, great..." you cursed, slapping your hand to your forehead. Slowly, you dragged your palm down your cheek before your fingertips met with your lips. A vertical, thin line traced through both bottom and upper lip, which was about two inches. The blemish came from a scurry with a ninja from Sunagakure - he mistook you as a threat (which you were, but you weren't planning on doing anything to him) and slashed your mouth with a kunai in an attempt for defending himself. The only reason why he mistook you for a threat to him was because it was coincidental. You had jumped down from a tree right behind him, but you didn't know that he was there until it was too late. Then, slice! He drew out his kunai and scarred your lips. You didn't really mind - it actually kind of gave you a more "tough" exterior. It was cool, in your opinion.

 

        Oftentimes, you found yourself thinking back to before you were taken in as a citizen of Konoha. Oftentimes, you had nightmares of the horrid memories that you experienced during your early childhood. Oftentimes, you would find yourself wondering… where did you even come from?

        Your earliest memories started at maybe three years old. You could recall how you stayed in a home with a young couple whom couldn't have a baby, if your memory serves you correctly. The couple… you sighed. You didn't know if they were related to you in some fashion; probably not—but they were fairly nice people. They're the ones that gave you your name. Your memory started to become a little clearer when you recalled how they both died. The young lady died first.

        You were watching her uproot plants in the garden just outside from your little bedroom window when she faltered in lowering herself down to her knees. She began to cough, your simple way in describing this memory was the only thing that you could do. Only the key–points were salvaged in your memory. Anyway, she coughed. And coughed. And she wouldn't stop coughing. The man whom was her spouse rushed outside when she fell over onto her side—poor woman. It turned out that her sickness was hereditary in young women her age… her death only a month later struck the boy very hard.

        He died of a broken heart three years later.

        Witnessing two people die at the very innocent age of three and six really did a number on your young mind. No–one was really left to take care of you. But you tried your best to manage. The rest of your memory was foggy after their deaths for a while. Your lack of a proper childhood struck you sometimes. Sometimes...

        You leaped from tree to tree. Sometimes, you wished that you just had a normal life with a normal family where the world of Shinobi didn't exist. And more than anything, you wished that you'd never met Obito. Only then would he stop plaguing your mind and hopefully, you'd get a decent night's rest whenever you came to.

        What is love?

        Love can come in many shapes and sizes; colors and forms. Is love the sight of seeing a friend after a long mission? Is love the feeling that fills your chest when you brush shoulders? Is love the feeling of warm arms wrapped around your waist? Is love the feeling of having someone understand you? Is love... real?

        Time is illusory. Time is fake. Time doesn't exist. Time is merely a concept constructed by man to make it seem as if everything doesn't go by too fast. If so, how could I say that love exists as well? Once we die, we rot in the Earth. Our lives are short and nothing lasts forever. Love couldn't be real. If love was real, the people passing by that six year old wandering the streets by herself would give her a second glance. The dirt on her cheek would have been wiped off and maybe then, she'd be given a bath for once. That would be love.

        But you've never experienced love in that form.

        Maybe once, maybe twice, you've experienced 'love,' but that couple was dead and gone now. They didn't exist anymore. Never before have you experienced love. With Obito, friendship was there. But never love. He loved Rin. With Rin, friendship was there. But never love, either. She loved Kakashi. Kakashi... After you pleading for his friendship, he may have agreed.

        But it didn't feel sincere.

        Kakashi, after agreeing to friendship, never did anything with you like Obito did. He barely ever passed you a second glance whenever your paths crossed. At recognizing this, your features scrunched up in anger, but... sadness, too. You really wanted to be friends with him. You guessed that he just didn't have the energy for you. It isn't like you were really worth it, anyway.

        You've always felt that way.

        "You don't want to hang out with me?" You'd question him in your mind. "Oh. That's alright. I'm just another person, it doesn't really matter."

        Wrong! Rin would tell you, maybe. Just maybe. How could you think that about yourself? You aren't just another leaf that falls off the branch.

        You're you, Obito would say... maybe. How could I ask for anything different?

        "You're gone now. It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters anymore." The statement fell from your cold lips in a hushed whisper, your eyes half-lidded as you gazed at the person staring back at you in the water. The last bit of love that you (blindingly) experienced with those two were gone with the wind, now. They were dead now. They were dead. Love was dead, with them.

        Love didn't exist anymore.

        "Love doesn't exist." You murmured.


	15. Recruitment

        Apprehension was an understatement when it came to the note that you had found in your small personal hideout one late and foggy night in December. You were squatting over a small crack in the ground where the piece of paper was first found, folded up and a little torn at a corner. The first thing that ran through your mind when you saw it was: someone visited this place and deliberately put it there. But who?

        Carefully, you checked the note in case there were any traps set up in it or if it was generally meant to harm you. No... so then it's just a regular note? Furrowing your brows, you unfolded the note and narrowed your eyes at the unique handwriting.

 

        (Name),

        Come to the abandoned warehouse near your camp later tonight just before dawn. We have something of yours. If you want it back, come to see us.

 

        The fuck? You thought, your mouth hanging open and immediately throwing the note over your shoulder. Angrily, you scrounged through your belongings, searching for anything precious that could have supposedly been taken. Your small pocketbook was still there. Dunno why they'd want to take that. Your clothes were still there, your miscellaneous belongings, even... wait.

        Your kali stick wasn't by your pack which held all your belongings. Dammit! That was your weapon! My only weapon and my favorite one! You let out a small scream of frustration. They'd just come barging through your stuff to take the most valuable thing and use it to their advantage like that—! That weapon was made of a very rare material and you—they!

        "Ugh, when I get a hold of these guys, I'm gonna... I'm gonna... They won't even see what's coming! And how did they know my name?!"

 

        After you found the note, you stayed up the remainder of the night without resting. The anger that "they" had the audacity to do what they did made you too awake to go to sleep. Instead you just sucked it up (eventually) and headed over to the warehouse that they spoke of in the note around maybe 4:00 AM or possibly a little later. You didn't waste a minute in walking down the trail that lead to the old place, either. The outline of the abandoned building was a little difficult to see in the darkness but—you could also hear a few hushed voices coming from the inside. Making sure to silence your footsteps, you mutely stalked over to the large door that made up the entrance.

        Breathe in.

        As quick as lightning, you threw your hands over the door and the ear-splitting shriek of it sliding open nearly deafened your ears, but you were too angry to care. "The hell is your problem?!" You shouted, stepping into the building and clenching your fists at your sides. Three people occupied the space other than yourself. And, they were all dressed in the same thing. Dark cloaks with red clouds that were outlined in white.  
One of them, a silver-haired man with a scythe whom was leaning against a large crate in the corner whistled at your immediate attitude. "Lookie here. Didn't know that the new member was gonna be a chick!" He hooted and clapped his hands. Another one—blue skin, sharp teeth, giant, shark-resembling; had a giant weapon thingy on his back, (couldn't exactly tell through the dark, here) standing near one of the windows on the other side of the warehouse—looked a little more than irritated. "Don't be silly, Hidan!" He smirked across the room at the asshole. "You knew it was a girl all along once you saw her bras."

 

        "YOU WHAT?!" You screeched, anger returning tenfold. "You looked through my clothes?!" Gaze screaming "I'm going to kill you" at the silverette, Hidan laughed. "I sure did! You have some nice panties, too!"

        "You... you... You—!" Too blinded by every negative curse word and rage, you were unable to form a proper sentence. Instead, your fingers formed into claws on either side of your face, shaking in anger before raking through your hair. "I demand to know what you did with my weapon!"

        The Hidan guy gave another boisterous laugh. "You mean this?" He pulled your precious weapon out of his cloak, throwing it up in the air a couple of times and catching it with his right hand while the other held his scythe. Last but not least, the third person, a woman with purple-ish hair and an origami flower resting on her bun snapped at Hidan. "ENOUGH!"

        Hidan hardened his expression in irritation at being held back from his next statement to you. The shark near the back of the room blinked at the abrupt command. Taking your gaze away from the asshole, you narrowed your eyes at the woman who—seemingly—could command the two others. You straightened your back and lifted your chin a little, all the while keeping your gaze with amber orbs.

        "I apologize for his behavior." She stoically said, blatantly ignoring the scowl thrown her way from the silverette. "I am Konan."

        "I don't care. I want to leave." You bit out. Your eyes held her own for a few more seconds before cautiously flickering between the Hidan person and the shark man. Your gaze lingered longer on him than Hidan, your (color) orbs taking in his appearance. He seemed to look a little uncomfortable under your gaze, but only for a second, for he masked it with a halfhearted glare. A small bead of sweat trickled down your temple when you looked back at Konan.

        "I apologize. I didn't get a chance to explain." She gave a subtle pointed glare. Wow, she finally shows a damn emotion on her face. Your irritation was making you a little irrational at this point. You'd probably regret it later. "We," she gestured to herself and the other two with one hand over her heart and waving the other towards the shark-man (and by extension Hidan). "Are Akatsuki."

        "What? Just the three of you?"

        "Eh, not necessarily. We have more members back at the base." The shark-man grinned, a bead of sweat also trickling down his forehead. For what reason, you really didn't know. "I'm Kisame. You look like you could probably pack a punch."

        Your lips pursed and you furrowed your brows at Konan and Kisame. "What do you people want?"

        "We want you to join our organization." Konan said, taking a step forward and holding her arms out a bit. "You're strong, and we'd find it wonderful if you joined us."

        "Join? You guys?" You scoffed. "Why would I want to do that?"

        "Well, if you're really going to be so disinclined to join..." Kisame trailed off, his gaze wandering up to the ceiling. He pushed himself away from the wall by the window and lifted his weapon off from his back. From the looks of it, that was definitely a sword. Wait.

        Kisame. Kisame Hoshigaki.

        ...

        Ohhh...

        He's one of those guys...

        Realization dawned upon you last minute as he headed towards you, Samehada being held over his shoulder by one hand. Konan held Kisame back and shook her head. "Battling her is unnecessary right now."

        "(Name)," She began. "A reason to join is quite simple, in your case. You would get that—" she pointed at your weapon being held in Hidan's hand, "—back without a fight." Kisame narrowed his eyes at you. Hidan grinned menacingly.

        "And if I refuse?" You inquired, taking a small step back and searching her face for any means of deceit. Konan blinked. "Then," she continued, "you'll be forced to join. Trust me, girl, I could take you down in a minute."

        You took a step back. Never, you thought, would I ever think this would happen to me. I mean yeah, I would be noticed by someone for my criminal rank, but damn - I never guessed that an entire infamous evil organization would want me to join them! This is...

        "Well?" Konan pushed. "What's it going to be?"

        You didn't fail to notice Kisame tightening his grip on his sword handle. Your gaze wandered back over Konan's shoulder at Hidan, your weapon reflecting in your eyes. I guess if I refused, I'd still have to join.

        "Fine. I'll join."

        Konan blinked. "Good. Hidan." Hidan strutted towards the three of you and came to a stop beside Konan. He swung your weapon around a bit before holding it out for you. "Asshole." You muttered, snatching it away from him. And just for extra measure, you let out a curt scream when Kisame dipped under you to throw you over his broad shoulder.

        "What the fuck?! Put me down! NOW!"

        "Heheh, sorry, but, I can't. It's precautionary. You know the deal."

        Deciding that you weren't going to be put down, you grumbled a bit and slumped in your position beside his head.

 

        "So, what. Am I gonna have to wear one of these things? They have red clouds on them."

        "Yeah, you are."

        "Oh? Am I going to be served shark-fin soup tomorrow morning for breakfast, too?"

        "Don't mock me! I'm practically too blindingly handsome for you to admit, so you use insults as a defense mechanism."

        "The guy with the scythe is a little bitch. I hope I don't have to talk to him often."

        "Hey, bitch! I'm going to make you regret that shitty insult!"

        "Shut up, you three!"


	16. Arrival

        "(Name), a virtually village-less missing-nin with an aptitude for strength. ...Uses lightning release... hm." A mysterious voice said in the back of the meeting room with Pain and Konan. Pain raised a brow at the mysterious man. "What other information is there on her background?"

        "She's an S-Rank." He replied. "She's been notorious for going around villages and stealing items and coin. On the hit list, there is no name under her profile."

        "So she's nameless in the world of shinobi?" Konan questioned, a vague edge to her voice.

        "Not exactly. She had affiliations with Konoha years ago but left to choose a different life. They knew of her existence, but never caught wind of her criminal acts that began a few years later. And approximately five years ago, she went off the grid of other villages."

        Pain thought this over. "You want her to become an Akatsuki?"

        "Yes."

        "And what will she bring to the organization?"

        "(Name) will greatly give us benefits, as well as more money to fund and more manpower. She's nearly checked everything off the list that is required to become a member." The mystery man lifted himself from his seat and walked towards the exit of the tower. "I'm expecting her to put up a fight, though she may not at the same time. If she doesn't join, make sure that she does." And with that, the shadow made his exit.

        "Understood."

 

        "You sure do like to chat." Kisame chuckled good-naturedly, patting the back of your thigh with his free hand. "At least you don't make the talkative thing bothersome like Tobi does."

        You, Kisame, Konan, and Hidan were headed back to the Akatsuki base where everyone else was. All you saw were just trees. Everywhere. That's why you were so inclined to talk since looking at trees for a day and a half was exhausting.

        Resting your elbows on Kisame's shoulder blades while your jaw was held in your hands, your half-lidded eyes struggled to stay open. "Who is Tobi? What a lame name."

        "Hoohoo!" Hidan joined in, appearing next to Kisame. "That son of a bitch is the most pestering, most dumbest, most shittiest, most--"

        "Okay, so this Tobi guy isn't all that great to be around. I get it, I get it." You exasperatedly said. "Who is everyone else?"

        "Kakuzu is my partner, the old bastard." Hidan groaned. "He has these gross ass scars all over his body and he's obseeeeeessssed with money. Heheheh! Me and my good buddy ol' pal go on missions to kill people for money!"

        "Kakuzu does." Kisame corrected. "Hidan murders people for the sake of his religion."

        Sticking your tongue out, you squinted. "Murdering people for your own benefits? That's... uh. Something. Kinda freaky but I guess I'll have to live with that if I'm going to be stuck with you people for whoever knows how long." You tuned out Hidan's cursing and speech about Jashin, along with everything else for a few minutes. As the four of you were heading to the Akatsuki base, you realized where they were taking you. This trail was achingly familiar; you walked down it many, many times when you were a little girl. They weren't just taking you anywhere, they were headed towards the Rain Country where you hung out for years during your early childhood. If Kisame carried you a few miles over, he and you would be on the same trail that Obito met you on. A grim expression took over your features. Shaking your head, you made a low sound of uneasiness.

        Raising your upper body from Kisame's shoulder, you stared at the side of his face. "I have two legs. It's not like I'm going to go anywhere!"

        "Precautions." Kisame snickered. "Sorry, but I'm still obligated to carry you around like this 'till Konan gives me the cue to put ya' down."

        "Konan-" You began as your eyes wandered over to the woman.

        "No." The blue-haired woman answered, not even batting an eye your way.

        "Dammit." You whispered, defeated. Another way to pass the time was to fiddle with the little bracelet on your wrist that you owned. Remember, it said on the beads. Pursing your lips, you zoned everything out until you heard:

        "We're almost there," Konan quietly reminded you. You hummed, flinching on Kisame's shoulder when a bead of rain pelted your nose. Another one landed on your shoulder, then your leg, then your back. Then, the rain came altogether, pelting all four of you. Hidan let out an aggravated groan, "I always hated this fucking rain!"

        "We're in the Rain Country? So that's where the Akatsuki base is?" You quietly asked, peeking over Kisame's hair to look down at Konan. The blue-haired woman mutely nodded and Kisame chuckled, craning his head to look up at your face. "You look like you've seen a ghost, girl! What's wrong with you?"

        You gulped, unaware of your fingers digging into Kisame's shoulder. Your nails bit into his skin through his cloak, but Kisame didn't bother to say anything about it. "Nothing... I just, I..." You trailed off, your eyes glistening as you stared at the puddles that littered the bricks and stones beneath you and Kisame. It had been a few minutes since the muddy, dirt trail turned into actual stones instead of dirt. The humid air of the Rain Country was making you uneasy and you knew exactly why. Not because you weren't very far from Amegakure, but because this country was just something close to home. This place was your childhood, ever since you ran away from your adopted parents' home. The Rain Country was where you wandered. Where you met animals, where you played on the rocks, where you climbed the trees, where you played games by yourself...

You slumped on Kisame's shoulder and felt your sadness and nostalgia tugging your lips down.

 

        A scream of shock escaped your lips when you were roughly thrown onto a large table in a barren room by Kisame. Konan left Kisame's side to walk around the table to someone which you hadn't seen yet. You slid across the table before coming to a stop, your chin resting against its surface and your eyes squeezed shut. Teeth bared, you hesitantly lifted your upper body up with your hands flat on the tabletop.

        "This is the new member?" A voice said to your left. (Color) orbs quickly surveying your surroundings, you took in the state of the large room. Dark. The only light was right above the table and built into the ceiling, which was shining down on you and the tabletop.

        Taking in the appearance of everyone, you did so quickly. Bi-colored plant-man; feminine-looking blonde boy; red-haired boy with soulless eyes; stitched up man that stood beside Hidan - must have been the Kakuzu fellow; a pretty ravenette with stress-marks under his eyes; Kisame... Your head turned back to stare directly in front of you.

        Right in front of you was an orange-haired man that could have been no older than twenty-five with piercings and ring-shaped eyes. Beside him was Konan, whom stared at you with a stoic gaze. The pierced man spoke.

        "Welcome. I am Leader." He blankly greeted. "You must be (Name), the S–Rank that I've heard so much about."

        You stared back at Leader, but not out of disrespect; those eyes shook you into uncertainty, an uncertain brow raising and a bead of sweat sliding down your temple from… fear. Cautiously you scooted back a little bit for the close proximity between the two of you made you less than comfortable. A second ticked by. And another, and another and another and another. "Seems like she's scared, heh." Kisame teased under his breath but it was enough for you to hear. He was right beside you. How could you not?

        "You have either come here out of choice or you were forced." Pain stated. "Which one did you choose?"

        "I…" You croaked. "I chose to come."

        Leader blinked. Not even a second passed before mad dashing resounded throughout the cavern outside before—

        CRASH!

        Your head whirled around to gape at the form that fell to the ground after his pummel through the entrance to the room. A short second passed before he was standing up and flailing his arms around with his green scarf following his movements. "Ah, ah! Tobi is late for the meeting!"

        The blonde boy groaned behind you.

        So this was Tobi? The Tobi that was supposed to be "the most pestering, most dumbest, and most shittiest" person of the organization, according to Hidan. And to Kisame, he talked too much and was annoying… you guessed? I mean, he did sort of practically crash through the wall. That's gotta be something.

        Tobi skipped over to the table before he finally noticed your shocked wide–eyed and disheveled form on the table that was gaping at him. A beat passed by before he dramatically gasped, his hands flying to either side of his swirly orange mask that had a single eye–hole. And dang, he resembled a ten year old that was about to open up a present on Christmas.

        "Tobi has missed something!" He excitedly said, subtly hopping from one foot to another.

        "…" Your muscles tensed the more you stared at him in a dumbfounded manner.

        "Uh… heheh…" he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "What's going on again?"

        Pain mutely sighed. "This is the new member, Tobi."

        "Oh!" Tobi excitedly said. Then, he, as fast as a snake, leaned over the tabletop so much that he might have been laying on it. With his arm outstretched, he tried to grab your hand with his fingers wriggling to try and reach your…

        Snatching your hand away and holding it close to your chest, you turned your head away to focus your attention on Leader. You ignored the whine of disappointment after that and continued to listen to what Leader had to say.

        "Everyone has their own partner to complete missions with. You can either take solo missions or missions with more members than just your partner, but; solo missions are to be discussed with me beforehand. You are not to ever reveal any information about this organization to anyone whom is not a member. If you do, you will be hunted down by one of us and killed on the spot. Our goal is to hunt down the Jinchuuriki and capture them."

        "Oh." You nodded slightly at the Leader without making any eye contact.

        "For now, you will not be joining any missions with anyone. But you will, soon. You'll be assigned a partner or partners when the time comes. And until then, you'll be doing primarily solo missions under my order." He handed you the same patterned cloak that everyone else (but Tobi) wore. "Put it on."

        You stared at the cloak held in his outstretched hand for a second before grabbing the fabric. Climbing off the table, you took notice of two Akatsuki members (Deidara and Sasori) moving out of the way for you to stand. Deftly you put on the cloak and felt like a small child putting on an adult's shirt when it settled on your shoulders. The sleeves went passed your fingertips and it just felt… weird.

        "You won't become an official Akatsuki member today or tomorrow, but with time you must show your loyalty to this organization. And once the day comes, you'll receive your ring."

 

        The vacant room that you stood in made an unsettled feeling rest in your stomach. A bed. You observed. An empty vanity, you thought as you checked all the empty drawers. A side bathroom. At least it's been kempt. That was it. That was all that was in the room. Maybe with time once you became more accustomed to this place you'd learn to decorate the room. But the more you stared at your reflection in the vanity, you became temped to…

        Hips pressing into the top of the dresser, you leaned forward and studied your face in the mirror. You had purple marks under your eyes from the lack of sleep. The person staring back at you looked…

        This… is me?

        Your cold fingers ghosted over the scar over your lip that had been blessed to you in your earlier self–discovering age. Then they ghosted over the bags under your eyes. A sigh escaped your lips.

        Knock! Knock, knockknockknockknockknockknock—

        "Go away." You groaned. Honestly. I don't even want to deal with anyone right now. I just want to take a cold shower and sleep.

        "But (Name)–chan, Tobi brought (Name)–chan something!" That high voice rang from the other side of your locked door. That doofus brought me something? That piqued your interest. But you were too exhausted to even think, too tired to want to walk all the way across the room to unlock the door and make meaningless conversation. You were already half–asleep when you realized that you were laying on your bed, facing away from your door.

        "(Name)–chan, (Name)–chan!" Tobi tried again. Peeling your eyes back open was quite an effort. Quietly, to yourself, you let out a huffed cry/whine in protest as you forced yourself to get back up to just see what the childish Tobi wanted.

        Slowly you opened the door. Tobi was still waiting outside the threshold to your bedroom with his hands behind his back. You said nothing as you blearily stared at him.

        "Tobi got (Name)–chan a welcoming gift!" Tobi happily cheered and pulled his hands out from behind his back. There, in his right hand, was just a simple… pink flower? It was the small kind, too. With the skinny stem and small petals, he probably picked that up right outside the hideout somewhere.

        Silently, you gazed at it.

        "…"

        "Tobi thought that (Name)–chan would like a flower. Does (Name)–chan like the color pink?"

        "Pink… it's… it's okay." You quietly mumbled, reaching out to delicately take it from his gloved fingers. Tobi beamed and giggled, bouncing from toe to toe. Your mind wandered as you stared at its petals with furrowed brows.

        "Tobi will grab more flowers for (Name)–ch—!"

        "No." You refused as you rubbed your face with your free hand. "I'm tired, Tobi. I'm gonna go to bed." Before the ecstatic boy could say anything you stepped back into your new private abode and shut the door, making sure to lock it.

        Outside in the hallway, a crestfallen Tobi, with his finger still raised in the air, slowly dropped his hand and sighed a sigh that only Tobi could do. Deidara came wandering around the corner on his way to the kitchen. He observed Tobi, the boy looked like a crestfallen puppy. "Un, Tobi. Get away from (Name)'s door. Shoo, yeah!" He grunted. Tobi whined at the blonde. "Deidara–senpaaaaaiii!" He sadly chorused.

        "You can't wander around this hallway all night, yeah!"

        "But Tobi—"

        "SHOO!"

        Tobi jumped and started running in panicked circles around Deidara as he made his way into the other room. And in your bed, you were already fast asleep.


	17. Learning

        "I still don't understand," you grumbled. "Why does he take any criticism towards him as an insult to his god?"

        You and one certain masochist bomber were sitting on a log together outside of the hideout. Deidara had taken a liking to you after about a week or two and the both of you instantly clicked. Since then after his missions or when he was bored, he came straight to your bedroom or wherever you happened to be. And as time flew by, Deidara happened to give you his input on a lot of things. (And by things, he means people.) Deidara talked about his art rival Sasori often; it seemed like even though you hadn't actually talked to Sasori yet, you knew almost everything about him. Sort of. Not really.

        Tobi was the one other person that kept you company. Although he was gone more than half the time with Zetsu, whenever he was here he proved to be very clingy to Deidara. He called out to Deidara more times than you can count for the past month that you've been part of the Akatsuki. Whenever he wasn't clinging to Deidara, he was with you and chatting you up. You told him to "go away" more than once, and each time you did Tobi whined a little bit with a very dramatic sob and exit.

        "Because he's an idiot, yeah." Deidara answered, his elbows resting on his knees that were wide apart. You blinked and scratched your forearm. "Didn't he barge into your bedroom one time? Yeah. What did he do? Why was he in there--?"

        Immediately you perked up at the subject. But no, not in interest or with a smile on your face-- rather with bubbling anger and a scowl. Your (e/c) eyes locked onto Hidan's form as he cleaned his scythe with a washrag a ways away. "So I was on my bed, just taking off my cloak. I was just undressing to go to sleep, nothing much. And right when I was taking off my shirt that idiot barged into my room. The door was locked and he broke the knob, so Kakuzu had to get it replaced." A very agitated sigh escaped your mouth. "Anyway, Hidan was accusing me of stealing his scythe since I lost my kali stick just a day prior, and after that, you already know." You pouted your bottom lip.

        Deidara cringed at the memory as he curled into himself a bit. "How can you be that strong? I mean I know that it's indecent to walk in on a girl undressing or anyone of that matter, and yeah, they'll be pissed and will probably slap or punch the person. But breaking his arm that easily? And Hidan is... he's, well, you're so small compared to him, yeah!" Deidara threw his arms up in confusion and bewilderment as he stared at you with wide, curious eyes.

        "It's a kekkei genkai." You simply answered, scratching the side of your mouth and looking away from Hidan to the trees.

        Deidara's mouth formed an 'o.'

        Then the two of you fell silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward. Silences weren't uncommon when it came to you and the bomber. As you stayed in your hunched position with your elbows resting on your knees, Deidara stretched his arms above his head and moved to lay his back on the log with his head beside your thighs. His hands folded together on his stomach and he crossed his legs at the ankles.

        "Today's kinda boring," you commented. Deidara hummed, his eyes falling shut against the warm sunlight. But then, they flew back open and he abruptly sat back up on one of his hands. He turned around to stare at you with wide eyes. "Hm, I got an idea!" Deidara's face then morphed into a grin. You side-eyed him with a raised brow, ready to hear it.

        "Wanna go skydiving?" Deidara proposed. A second ticked by as your eyes gradually widened, an excited grin taking over your face.

 

 

    After the skydiving session was begrudgingly over, both Deidara and you had to, begrudgingly, return back to the hideout. Neither of you wanted to return, but the bomber said that he had business to attend to; which translates to "I have to go bother Sasori." So then you were left alone to do whatever.

    And doing "whatever" was very hard to do since there wasn't anything to do. Deidara was the only member of the Akatsuki that you had bonded with, leaving everyone else just another member that you see from time to time. Hidan was not on your list of people that you wanted to be friends with without a doubt - that guy freaked you out with his disgusting habits. There have been just too many instances where you've walked into the lounge with Hidan sitting on the couch with his finger up his nose. A shiver crawled up your spine. Eugh.

    Kakuzu never wanted to be bothered unless it was for a mission, so he was off the list as well. You were 77% sure that he hated you and 100% sure that he hated everyone else. Especially Hidan. But who knew? Konan, the only other girl in the Akatsuki, was immediately off the list as well. She was a big no-no unless you wanted to get attacked, plus; she was always around Pain or off on a mission for him. In fact, you barely saw her anyway, so why did you need to worry in the first place? Sasori... maybe. Kisame was bright around you, so he wasn't really a problem. He always chatted you up when he was around. Itachi - you most definitely wanted to be friends with him, but he was always just so damn quiet and always wore that stare that never failed to scare you a little bit. But, on the bright side, he did say "hi" to you a few times and brought you dango from a small shop that he frequented. You were hopeful for a friendship with him, and as things were turning out, that looked to be the case.

    You know what? I'm gonna go find him, you thought as you began to walk down the hallway towards his room. Maybe I can invite him to hang out...? Gosh I hope he's in his room. If he isn't I'll probably be embarrassed. As you got closer and closer to his room and turned around a corner, your lips pulled into an anxious line. But what if he's in his room and he doesn't answer when I knock on his door? Coming to a slow and apprehensive stop near his door, you began to raise your hand, only to pause. Your eyes dropped to his doorknob and then looked at your clothes. Your brows pulled together. I really hope that I don't look dumb. Closing your eyes and sucking in a breath, you looked back at his door and almost knocked.

    Almost.

    "Hi, (Name)-chan!"

    A scream escaped you as you jumped and stumbled onto Itachi's door with a very loud thump. Tobi, stunned, leaped back and held his hands up in caution. "Whoa, (Name)-chan! Tobi didn't think that he was that funny!"

    As you slowly climbed back onto your feet from your knees, you turned to glare at him. "What do you want?" You growled. Tobi straightened his back and hung his head a little as he scratched his hair. "Ehhh... Tobi just wanted to say 'hi'..."

    With all the ruckus that Tobi and you had made, it turned out that Itachi wasn't in his bedroom. "Well, you said hi. Can you leave me alone now?" Turning away from Tobi to march down the hallway, Tobi made a squeak-like sound. "Tobi doesn't want to!" He chorused as he fell into step beside you. "Tobi wants to be with (Name)-chan!" Tobi flailed his arms as he began to dance around you. You rolled your eyes. "Why can't you hang out with Deidara?"

    "Deidara-kun told me to hang out with you!" Tobi skipped in front of you, blocking your path back to the lounge.

    "Well, relay this message back to Deidara: I hate you."

    "DEIDARA-SENPAI!" Tobi suddenly yelled out very loudly. Faintly, you could hear Deidara groan somewhere near Sasori's room in annoyance. "(NAME)-CHAN SAYS THAT YOU AREN'T A GOOD BOY!"

    You clamped your hand over Tobi's forearm and pushed him to the side to continue on your way. As expected, Tobi continued to follow you. "Tobi wants to be with (Name)-chan!" He repeated, only to be met with your footfalls and no reply. Eventually, Tobi fell silent. That was fortunate for you because - he was always talking. Stepping around the small table in between the couches, you plopped down on one of them and rolled around to face the cushions so that you didn't have to see that obnoxiously bright orange mask.

    The sound of his loud footfalls circled around the couch until you felt him leaning over the back to look down at you. "(Name)-chan..."

    "Mm," you grunted, closing your eyes even tighter.

    "(Name)-chaaan..." You pressed your face into the cushion and put your hands over your ears.

    "(Naaaammmmme)-chaaaan..." he whisper-sang.

    A gloved finger jabbed into your side, and immediately after you squealed and slapped his longer hand away from your person. "Tobi! Personal space!"

    "But (Name)-chaaan! Tobi wants to talk to (Name)-chan!"

    Staring incredulously at the eye-hole of his mask for a few seconds, you closed your eyes and sighed. A hand rubbed down your face until you caved. "Fine."  You quietly mumbled. Tobi gasped and made a very happy sound as he skipped around the couch to sit on the floor right in front of your head. Immediately jumping into it, he excitedly rushed out, "What is (Name)-chan's favorite color?!"

    With your eyes gazing up at the ceiling, you got comfortable and answered, "(Favorite color)."

    "Tobi loves that color! Tobi will paint his room (favorite color) now!"

    Your eyes flew open at that response. "What?! No! Don't do that!"

    "Why not?" Tobi whined. "Because... well, you decide to paint your room that color only once I tell you it's my favorite? That's... kind of weird."

    Tobi didn't answer, only going on to the next question. "What is (Name)-chan's favorite time of day!"

    "Uh... I don't know..."

    "Favorite flower!"

    "The same flower that you found for me before, I guess."

    "Favorite-"

    "Hey now, what's with all this 'favorite' stuff? Why are we talking just about me?" You uncomfortably asked. You didn't like people to ask you things about yourself. It felt too personal. Tobi's head cocked to the side in confusion. He was about to say something, but Deidara walked back into the room. He stopped to look at the scene, his blue eye clouded in bewilderment. You, on the couch, with Tobi sitting directly in front of you on the floor and his shoulder pressing into the cushion by your face.

    Deidara coughed. "Uh, (Name)..."

    "Hm?" You were pulled out of the conversation and jumped when you saw Deidara standing where he was. "Deidara...!" You coughed. Deidara squinted at you and - in his eyes - the bozo, until he scratched the back of his head. "So... Sasori is leaving on a mission and I have to go with him, yeah. I'll be gone for a few days, un."

    "Oh.. okay, that's okay." You awkardly approved. "Well, I'll just be... around." Tobi watched the exchange with growing excitement. "OH! OH! THAT MEANS THAT (NAME)-CHAN AND TOBI CAN PLAY TOGETHER!"

    You gazed impassively at Tobi when he turned to clap his gloved hands. "Whatever you say, buddy," you hummed. Just then Sasori walked into the lounge and came to a stop beside Deidara. His soulless eyes impassively stared at Deidara and you. Deidara turned to look at Sasori, "Let's go, Sasori-dana!" He grinned and left the room with the puppet. "Cao, (Name)!" Deidara sang. Then he was gone with Sasori following not too far behind, turning around the corner and leaving your sight, as well as leaving you alone with Tobi again.

    You scratched your cheek as you rolled onto your back to stare back up at the ceiling again. Tobi got up from the floor to sit criss-crossed on the armrest right beside your head. Your eyes followed his movements before you closed them once again. "So..." you began. "Deidara is your favorite person in the Akatsuki?"

    Tobi giggled. "Deidara-senpai is! Who is (Name)-chan's favorite!"

    You shrugged. "No one, I guess."

    Tobi pouted. "Tobi was hoping that (Name)-chan would say Tobi..." A cloud of rain appeared over his head at your answer. You raised a brow and opened your eyes to stare accusingly at his orange mask. "Why would you be my favorite?"

    The boy sniffed. "Because Tobi is a good boy..."

    You rolled your eyes at the answer. 'Good boy this, good boy that.' It never ends, does it? "Whatever you say."

    A beat passed. "Tobi is hungry," he whined. "Tobi wants (Name)-chan to get dango with him!" Tobi hopped off the couch and grabbed your hand and dragged you off the sofa. "Uh- Tobi!" You squeaked. "Let go of me!" Tobi shook his head and began to pull you towards the exit of the hideout. "Tobi wants (Name)-chan to come with Tobi to get dango!"

    "But Tobi, I'm not-"

    "Does (Name)-chan hate Tobi?" Tobi stopped his movements to hang his head and slump his shoulders. You froze up at the sudden question. That was unexpected, especially coming from someone like Tobi. The feel of his fingers never left your own. Eyes widening at his slumped shoulders, they softened just a bit. "...No."

    "Then why does (Name)-chan act like she hates Tobi all the time?" His index finger slightly curled around your small finger.

    You gulped, but then you straightened your back. "I don't hate you, Tobi," you answered, and Tobi talked again.

    "Does that mean that (Name)-chan will get dango with Tobi!" His voice suddenly became cheery again. A slow sigh left you. "Okay." Tobi gasped and you felt as though he was grinning, but you couldn't tell with the mask over his face. "YAY!" He cheered, breaking out into a run as he dragged you behind him.

 

    The entire walk to the nearest dango shop was filled with talking. There wasn't a single moment of silence like there was with Deidara. You couldn't exactly tell if that was a good or bad thing, though. You also couldn't tell if you two leaving the base by yourselves was a good idea either, but Tobi was persistent. Plus... guilt racked through you when Tobi thought that you hated him. You felt as though you owed this to him for making him think that.

    "Ahh! (Name)-chaaaan, say something!" He whined as the two of you stepped into the shop. "That glazed donut looks good," you murmured as you stepped towards the glass case that separated the break room and kitchen from the dining area. There were many different types of sweets within like a large variety of donuts, chocolate bars, cake slices, jello, and much more different types of sugary pastries that you couldn't name.

    Tobi stepped up to the glass pane and pressed his hands against the surface to peer at the pastries. "Does (Name)-chan want that donut?" He pulled back and pointed at said donut, his head turning to look to you for approval. His green scarf swayed with the movement. You hummed in guilt. "I don't have enough money to pay for our stuff..."

    The masked boy shook his head. "(Name)-chan doesn't need to worry!" He reached behind his back and suddenly pulled out a heavy-looking pouch that jingled when he shook it. "Tobi got money from Kakuzu-san!""

    Eyes widening, you gaped at him. "How did you get that much money from Kakuzu?!"

    Tobi giggled. "(Name)-chan doesn't need to worry about that!"

    You shivered. "Okay, then... uhm, yes. That donut." You nodded. Tobi cheered, "O-kaaaay!" He danced up to the young girl at the register and dropped the pouch on the counter in front of her. Smiling, the young girl greeted Tobi: "Hi, how may I help you today?"

    Tobi pointed at the glazed donut that you wanted. "Tobi wants one of those! And dango, and jelly beans! And chocolate, and taffy!" Openly gaping at Tobi, you stared at him. "Are you insane? You'll get the worst stomach ache and cavities!" Tobi shook his head happily as he danced on his toes. "Tobi has never gotten cavities or a stomach ache before!"

    As the two of you spoke, the girl behind the counter counted the money from Tobi's pouch and put the money in the register. "Alright, one glazed donut, two dango sticks, one small bag of jelly beans, one chocolate bar and taffy, coming right up!"

    You inwardly groaned. As the girl pulled out your donut with a spatula and set it in a box, you made a face at the side of Tobi's mask. 'Maybe this will be my chance to see what he looks like under that thing...' Tobi grabbed all of his things including your small donut box and skipped over to a booth by one of the windows. Following behind him, you grabbed his money pouch off the counter and stuffed it in your pocket.

    Sitting down in the seat across from Tobi you reached for your donut. Right at that time the masked boy grabbed one of his dango sticks and tried to hold in his giggles. "Hey. Hey, (Name)-chan!" He stuttered out, his chest shaking. "Look at this!"

    You obeyed and watched with a humorous glint in your eyes as he stuffed the dango into his eye-hole. A smile tried to tug at your lips but you suppressed it and shook your head. Chewing your first bite of the donut, you made sure not to make a mess with the glaze chipping up and falling everywhere. After you brushed all of it off from your lap, you looked up to see Tobi tearing open his bag of jelly beans. After observing his movements for a moment, you suddenly stopped and frowned.

    "Where did the dango go?"

    Tobi grabbed a fistfull of jelly beans and looked down at you since he was taller and cocked his head. "What does (Name)-chan mean?"

    "I mean... the dango that you had. Both of them. I didn't see you eat them...?"

    "Is (Name)-chan running a fever? Tobi doesn't think that (Name)-chan is feeling okay." He reached out to press his hand to your forehead but you pushed it away with your fingers. "I'm fine! I just didn't see you... eat... whatever." You sighed in defeat and went back to eating your donut. No sooner had you finished, Tobi did as well, and you climbed out of the booth together and left together.


	18. Thoughts

    He always kept tabs on her, but he never thought to let her become a part of the Akatsuki until only recently. So, Obito finally came to a conclusion. She'd be a wonderful subordinate - and that only. (Name) would play her part in the Akatsuki under a guise of being a member of his organization. But knowing (Name), she'd shape his subordinates. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Or would his subordinates shape (Name)? The never-ending question plagued his mind until Obito just let Pain handle the rest, ordering Konan, Kisame, and Hidan to take her from her nonexistent home.

    When Obito was late to the meeting that one day, he was mentally preparing himself to see her again. When he last saw her was when they were teenagers. After Obito had the rock fall on him, after he watched Rin die. It was quite a bold move to see her again on his part, and he knew that he shouldn't have told Pain to let her in - but he did anyway. It was reckless and dangerous; it was inevitable when she'd find out that Tobi is actually the boy that she believed to be dead for many years. She'd see through the facade. He knew that she would... or would she not figure him out? Maybe she... But again, he let (Name) join his organization. How stupid was he?

    Seeing the startled form of (Name) on the meeting table that day made Obito realize something. This was really happening. (Name) would be rooming with him for who knows how long. What if she gets killed prematurely? What if she dies and Obito is left alone again? Obito used to think that (Name) was a friend and a friend only, but...

    Obito felt conflicted on that matter as of now.

    After he had left that day when he slipped off the branch Obito became progressively darker and darker in both mind and strength. Obito was taught Madara's ways for a long time until Madara could teach no more. The Infinite Tsukuyomi plan was going accordingly... for now.

    Obito had to admit that (Name) looked significantly different from what he could remember - when they were kids, when he had a more distinct image of what she looked like. Back when Obito still believed in hope, when he still believed in happiness. He couldn't even describe her as happy anymore, or bright, or spunky - she was apathetic, she was lonely, she was distrustful of everyone around her. Even weeks after (Name)'s arrival, Obito seemed to pick up on her personality during all the times that his alter-ego, Tobi, had hung around her. Obito had to admit that she was definitely good at masking how she would feel. (Name) built up walls around herself that were made of apathy and lethargy, barricading herself within and hiding what she didn't want everyone to see. What that was, Obito still had yet to figure out - and he was a very observant man. (Name) had grown significantly stronger since the Konoha days. He couldn't deny that he was a little more than impressed when she single-handedly broke Hidan's arm and threw him into a wall. The imprint of his body was still engraved in the wall of the hallway. He knew that (Name) was a powerful woman, and he wasn't going to deny that (Name) could defend herself - because she could.

    When the others were around (Name) she came off as disinterested or irritated, but on the other times that she didn't look so negative, she let a fake smirk be painted upon her features. Even when she seemed to enjoy being around her new company, Obito knew better. He knew that she didn't trust any of the Akatsuki members one bit. He knew that she thought everybody was an egotistical bastard - and Obito knew that maybe this applied to Tobi. Obito thought that this was most... interesting, but he had work to do on the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan - that's why he was always gone with Zetsu. Part of the Uchiha wanted to stay and fool her with his alter-ego while (Name) fell for it, but he just couldn't do it.

    Something stirred within Obito when seeing (Name) only being kind to his alter-ego and only acting a certain way around him than with anyone else in the organization. It seemed as though after that first get-together that Tobi and (Name) made together at the candy shop, (Name) found herself getting gradually more comfortable with Tobi than with any of the other members. Obito wanted to scream.

    Stop. You can't get attached to me. I have a job to do. You have a job to do.

    But she had grown up from her childish personality. She no longer had a child's face.

    (Name) was a woman. She was beautiful.

    He could just persuade her to follow him out of the hideout as Tobi one day. He could bring her somewhere that no one else would think to ever look for her. Obito could just end her very life if she got on his bad side. Just because the woman was beautiful -- Obito cringed at what he was thinking of the woman --doesn't mean that it would give her a free pass. (Name) would still have to have a loyalty to his organization, or he would kill her.

    ... Obito rubbed the back of his clothed neck from his spot on the mattress. He shouldn't be thinking about (Name) like he was. He loved Rin, and only Rin - she was his pillar and the reason that he joined Madara in the first place! Obito groaned as he laid back on his pillow and stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Outside, he could hear a distant conversation going on down the hallway.

    He wouldn't be able to do it. Call him a coward, if you will, but he could never bring himself to kill (Name) on his own. He'd get one of the others to do it for him. But did he really want to kill (Name) if she became a threat to his cause?

    Obito didn't know the answer to that question. All he did know was that with her current attitude to everyone, (Name) was still on a red-flag alert. She'll come around one day, one side of Obito said, while the other said, "If she doesn't..."

    Obito still didn't know. The man slipped his gloved hand under his mask and rubbed his face.

    The Uchiha wondered if Pain would ever gain a suspicion of (Name) and himself with how cozy he's made his alter-ego around (Name). No, Obito thought. Nagato is too daft. He wouldn't notice a thing. If anything, Pain would assume that Obito would be doing it for in-character related purposes only. That's what Obito was trying to convince himself. The man could never allow himself to get close to anyone. His only goal was to finish the plan so that he could assist Madara in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. There, he'd be able to see Rin again.

    He would see her again.

 

    Obito skipped down the halls of the Akatsuki base singing a little tune, his long green scarf trailing after him as his arms swung almost comically back and forth. "One Deidara-senpai, two Deidara-senpai's, three Deidara-senpai's..." Tobi giggled when he passed Kisame in the hallway, stopping mid-skip just to wave excitedly at the shark-man. "Hi, Kisame-kun!" He sang. Kisame grunted, not even bothering to stop and wave back. He must have been heading out to train or do whatever Kisame does when he goes out. Of course I know what he does when he goes out. Zetsu keeps tabs on every Akatsuki member for me. Tobi turned around and continued to dance down the hallway, only slowing down once he caught sight of Pain's office entrance. Stopping by the door to look around, Tobi deemed the coast as clear.

    "Nagato," Obito drawled after he shut the door to Pain's office and locked it. "I need to speak to you regarding the girl." Obito prowled towards Pain, whom was sitting at his desk that was loaded with files that Konan had handed him not too long ago. The office was dark, with only the aid of a nearby torch hanging up on the wall to light up the room. The dim light cast a shadow over the other half of Obito's body as he came closer and closer, but still keeping his distance from Pain.

    "Madara," Pain acknowledged, setting down a paper and sitting up straighter in his seat. Pain's rinnegan carefully calculated Obito's movements from his place. "What is it that you need?" Obito came to a stop in front of the desk and took up his regular authoritive stance. Cocking his head, Obito began, "Put (Name) under Kakuzu's watch."

    "Kakuzu?" Pain stoically said, but there was still a hint of question in his voice.

    "She'll be Kakuzu's subordinate." Obito further said. "Until further notice, she'll be under Kakuzu's careful eye and he'll monitor her movements. Kakuzu will inform us of her actions and then I'll let her become an official Akatsuki member if she proves her loyalty." The fire from the torch crackled and danced in the darkness, filling the silence.

    "If I recall, (Name) doesn't get along well with Hidan." Pain commented, his rinnegan - it wasn't even his - observing that obnoxiously bright mask that Obito hid behind. Obito let his eye linger on Pain for a few more seconds before turning away and beginning to prowl around the room in a slow pattern.

    "Nagato, who has the authority here?" Obito suddenly said, his arms limp at his sides as his tall figure cast a shadow over the floor and wall. Pain stared at him with those blank eyes for a few more seconds before answering.

    "You do."

    Obito predatorily smirked under the mask. "That's right." He mockingly admonished, his voice low. "And I say who (Name) works for. She will be Kakuzu's subordinate, and that's final." Before Pain could say anything more, Obito left the office in his Tobi persona. "Pain-sama is a good boy, right?" And like that, Obito slipped from the room and continued humming, going on his merry way.

    Pain sighed once the mysterious man left, rubbing his hands down his pierced face. Not only a few minutes later Konan walked into the room and walked over to Pain. "Nagato--" She began, to which Pain interrupted her.

    "Konan, summon Kakuzu to me."

    Konan, taken aback for only a second, blinked before straightening her back. "Alright."


	19. Departure

    The sound of your bedroom door creaking open and the heavy sound of footsteps pulled your mind into a half-awake state, your eyes cracking open just barely to hazily stare into the dim lightning that your open door made. Your legs were curled up towards your chest so you were in a ball, your quilt tightly wrapped around you. You liked your bedroom to be cold while you were snuggled up in your blankets; it made you fall asleep faster. Sighing dreamily, you cuddled into your pillow a little more.

    "Wake up, bitch!"

    A shadow was cast over your form and suddenly, all of your warmth disappeared only to be replaced by cold air. A shiver went through you as you looked up to see the one and only Hidan with your blankets in his hands. The light from the hallway cast a shadow over his front, only illuminating his outline. The shine of his eyes made you want to groan. But then, his expression morphed to one of pure mirth.

    "WOW! I picked the right time to rip your blankets off, huh, bitch?" His violet eyes that were shadowed and appeared almost black in the dark wandered down to your butt. Blearily, you wondered what he meant, but then you realized why he was looking at your butt. You fell asleep in only your underwear. A scream of humiliation and horror tore through your throat as you kicked Hidan away from your bed and snatched the blankets up to your chest, covering yourself as best you could. The only thing that you wore was a tee and your underwear - you didn't mean to fall asleep without putting night wear on, but you were out of it as soon as your face met your pillow last night. Just because you acted tough on the outside did not mean that you didn't have any decency.

    You crumpled to the floor and pressed your back against the side of your bed, Hidan's legs shadowing over your body as he stood not too far away. "What are you doing in my room?!" The shout that you made was most likely heard by anyone within a few rooms' radius with how loud you said it. Hidan arched his brows and deeply smirked, his teeth showing under his lips. "I got good news, little bitch," Hidan said.

    "IT'S THREE IN THE MORNING!"

    "DAMN RIGHT!" Hidan agreed, cocking his hips and pointing at you. "You're in my team now!" Hidan cooed, bending at the waist to get a better look at you. "And you're gonna be heading out on a mission with us." Eyes widening, you stared at him with an incredulous expression. Your toes poked out from under your blankets and you pulled your foot inward. "What the hell do you mean?"

    Hidan huffed. "You, Kakuzu, and me are all going on a bounty hunt - right now. Got that, bitch?" He stood back up and turned around to head out. You sighed, but then another question arose in your head before Hidan could leave your room. "Wait! I'm assigned to your team now? I don't believe your ass for a second!" You shouted, quickly picking yourself up and running out of the bedroom to catch up with Hidan before he completely left, your bedsheets dragging behind your feet as you pattered down the hall. "Answer me!"

    The Jashinist turned around and grinned manically, his cloak swishing with the movement. "Just ask Kakuzu yourself. You're his..." a snort escaped him and he didn't even try to hold back his laughter. "SUBORDINATE!" He screamed out a laugh, gripping his midsection to try and calm himself down. He managed after a few seconds, sucking in his bottom lip, but his violet eyes looked back at your shocked expression and he lost it; again. Shaking his head, he headed back down the hallway. "When was this a thing?!" You scowled, still in a bit of denial. "Since three days ago," Hidan answered. "Kakuzu just told me."

    "Well, fine! If I'm in your team that means I get to kick your ass whenever I feel like it!" You called to his back, thrusting your thumb into your chest. "Yeah, that's right, I'll beat you into the dirt once I leave this hideout with you! You hear that, church-boy?!" By now Hidan was merely the size of your hand from the distance. He turned around and steam came out of his ears at the insult. "What did you say to me, bitch?! I'll have you know that Jashin wants your little ass as a sacrifice! YEAH! YOU HEAR THAT!" Hidan snatched his scythe that was conveniently leaning against the wall and charged at you.

    Out of the blue, Kakuzu appeared behind Hidan and held the jashinist in a vice-like grip, Kakuzu's copper hand powerfully squeezing at the younger mans throat. The money-grubber threw Hidan at a nearby wall before turning to you, the forgotten jashinist sliding down the wall before yelling out curses to Kakuzu. Kakuzu's green and red eyes focused on your form at the end of the other hallway, his eyes scrutinizing and angry.

    "You better not get on my nerves, girl, or I'll kill you." He stated in his low and scary voice. Your eyes widened a little bit as your mouth went dry and you shrunk into yourself a little bit. You think that you can go toe-to-toe with him in a fight, but you weren't exactly planning on getting killed anytime soon. Best do as he says, or I'll end up getting cooked over a fire.

    Swallowing thickly, you arched your brows and put on your best hard face. Aye, aye, cap'n, you thought before speaking up. "Can I ask where we're going for our bounty hunt?" You pulled the blanket tighter around your body for security and leaned all of your weight on one foot. Kakuzu turned away from you and headed into the kitchen with you hesitantly following behind. Hidan was grumbling and rubbing his head after you, scowling at your back all the while. "We're going into the Land of Waves." Kakuzu simply grunted out the answer while he yanked the fridge door open. After he opened it he craned his head around to glare at you.

    "Eat." He commanded, eyes holding no room for an argument on your end. Confusion twisted your features at the order. "Can I just get dressed first?" You whined as Hidan rushed towards the fridge to raid its contents. He snatched out a half-eaten sandwich and a carton of milk. Kakuzu didn't even acknowledge the jashinist as the silver-headed man ate a large bite of his - or someone's - sandwich and drank straight from the carton of milk; not even bothering to chew the sandwich before jugging down more than half the carton. Lips curling, you quietly slipped from the kitchen and jogged down the hallway, your bare feet making a pitter-patter noise with each step against the marble floor.

    Why do I have to be stuck with them? Why not Sasori or something? Hell; even Kisame would suffice! You exhaled a sigh, visibly annoyed. "Damn Hidan, damn Kakuzu, damn Leader, damn--" You were interrupted by the sound of a door being opened - a bedroom door that was directly to the left of you. Pausing, you turned your head to see whose bedroom it was, only for Kisame to pop his head out. He looked to be visibly exhausted, his eyes tired and eyebrow twitching in irritation. He looked around for a second before his eyes found your form in the dimly lit hallway.

    "Hey, was that you making all the noise? It's almost 3:30 AM! I'm tired!" He complained, his large blue hand gripping his doorway. "Ehh..." You digressed, scratching the back of your head. "Kakuzu and Hidan are my new team members, long story short..."

    Kisame sighed, fingers rolling in a circle over his temples. "Good luck. Just be quieter, or I'll eat you!" He teases, biting down his sharp teeth with a dull clack! sound. You squinted and curled your lips, a little lost at what you should do for a response, so you simply turned on your heels and marched back to your bedroom. Kisame sweatdropped at the reaction as he watched you leave. "She could be a little more playful, instead of being so uptight all the time..." Kisame huffed, shaking his head before shutting his door and climbing back into bed.

 

 

    Kakuzu, Hidan, and you were all suiting up by the exit. Well; just Hidan and you - Hidan was making sure that he didn't forget the needle that he always brought with him, and you were adjusting your sandle. A week after you had joined the Akatsuki, Leader had supplied you with a fresh set of clothes along with a new pair of sandles for you to wear. This morning would be the first time that you're wearing these new sandles - they seemed half a size too big but you'd hopefully grow into them.

    "Are you two imbeciles done yet?" Kakuzu grumpily growled, sidestepping over Hidan's scythe to move towards the entrance. He was more than irritated - he, Hidan and you should have already set out for the bounty hunt fourty minutes ago. It was both Hidan's and your fault because Hidan took the opportunity to lounge around while you took forever to get ready. Kakuzu was already ready two hours ago.

    Adjusting your left foot in your sandle one more time, you stood up and took a couple steps in a circle to test out your shoes. It seemed alright. "I'm ready." You exhaled, looking back up at your new superior while gripping your kali stick and securing it over your hip. Hidan stretched his back and rolled his shoulders, popped his neck, and gave a loud yippee. "Ready, bitches! Jashin-sama is about to get a new load of sacrifices!"

    You rolled your eyes and planted your face into your palm. Hidan took no notice, only whooping as he ran over to Kakuzu. "Open the door, asshole!" Kakuzu reached over and punched Hidan so hard that the jashinist fell over. "We're leaving. Now." He grunted, holding out his hand and activating the door. It slid open and Kakuzu stepped out into the rain of Amegakure. A whining Hidan leaped out of the hideout with his scythe flying behind him, following after Kakuzu. You were about to step outside as well, the loud rain drowning out everything else. Hidan's exclaimations of excitement were muffled under the thunder, and you were a little relieved about that. Maybe then you wouldn't have to listen to him for the entire journey through the rain country. Stepping out of the hideout, you were immediately pelted and soaked head-to-toe in rain water, your hair clinging to your forehead and droplets steadily slipping from your eyelashes. Scrunching your eyes and furrowing your brows as you followed behind your new "team," you missed the sound of Tobi slipping behind you to catch up.

    "NOOO! (Name)-chan, don't go!" He whined, the sound of his pitiful whimpers pulling you from your march behind Kakuzu and Hidan and making you turn around to stare at him. Tobi refrained from stepping beyond the exit, so he wasn't soaking wet like you were. His hands were clinging to his hair in a panic, his feet parted and knees bent slightly. You gazed at his orange mask as best you could through the rain that was dropping from your eyelashes and furrowed your brows even deeper.

    "Tobi, I have to go. Kakuzu... ugh, he's my new superior now." You professed, inwardly groaning at just the thought of that old man being the person that has the ability to order you around. Tobi cried and dropped his head, his shoulders shaking with the sounds of his dramatic sobbing. "Tobi doesn't want (Name)-chan to go so soon! Tobi wants (Name)-chan to stay at the hideout with Tobi because Tobi is a good boy!"

    Kakuzu's commanding voice interrupted the moment, his voice laced in anger. "Girl! Stop wasting my time and come on!" Rolling your eyes, you craned your head around to glare at his feet. "Give me a second!" You barked back, huffing at him and slowly turning back around to have your focus return to Tobi. "I'll be back soon enough. We're going to the Land of Waves, so we'll be traveling through the Grass Village. It's just one country over - I won't be that far..." You awkwardly informed him, your (eye color) eyes focusing on the opening of his mask.

    Tobi hiccuped and nodded. "If Tobi is a good boy, will (Name)-chan come back soon?"

    At that moment, your uneasiness melted away to be replaced with something foreign. The sound of the desperation in his voice made something move within you - something that you hadn't felt in a long time. Him wanting you to come back as soon as possible struck a chord, and immediately you wanted to leave Kakuzu and Hidan's side to join Tobi and stay at the hideout like he wanted. But a part of you denied your feelings and sneered at Tobi - he's just another person that's lying. He doesn't even mean what he's saying; and besides, why would you want to stay with Tobi, anyway? He's annoying, he's loud, he's silly, he's a crybaby, he's whiny, and every other word in the book that fits Tobi's description. Tobi wasn't even anything special.

    "(Name)-chan, (Name)-chan! Did (Name)-chan hear Tobi?" Tobi was flailing his arms to get your attention, his green scarf dancing behind him with his movements. You blinked, suddenly aware that Kakuzu and Hidan left without you and that Tobi had asked you a question. I can catch up to them in a minute, it's not like I'm slow.

    "I'll come back anyway, Tobi. It's not like I'm leaving forever." You stressed, flippantly waving your hand to further prove your point. Tobi whined, his head wildly flickering back and forth - he was stressing about the rain. Suddenly, as if he made up his mind, Tobi leaped out of the exit and into the rain to tackle you in a bone-crushing hug. A sound of surprise made its way out of your mouth as you scrunched up your face, groaning when Tobi lifted you off the ground due to the height difference. His arms were wrapped around your midsection, leaving you to lean over his head with your nose buried in his dark hair that was now getting soaked.

    ... Why does Tobi's hair smell so good? And how is his hair so silky? This is an outrage. His hair feels even more silkier than that rug I saw on sale in that one shop in Tanigakure. Why isn't my hair as silky as his?

    "(Name)-chan is a good girl; that is what Tobi thinks of (Name)-chan! So Good Girl (Name)-chan will come back soon!" Tobi giggled into your collar, his arms squeezing you even tighter before he set you down. Clearly dazed, you blindly took a step back and nodded hazily. "Yeah... Yes. Okay." You consented, nodding your head as you looked up at Tobi. "I'll come back." Before Tobi could reply with anything, you bent at the knees and leaped into the air, only a dot in the sky from Tobi's point of view. He wildly waved goodbye at your figure. "Bye-bye, (Name)-chaaaan!"

    Once you caught sight of Kakuzu and Hidan, whom were leaping from building to building through the village, you slowed the speed of your decent to land perfectly right beside Hidan and fell into step with the two of them. Hidan hooted and whistled at you. "Finally returned, huh? What the hell were you doing with Tobi?"

    "Nothing," You impassively answered as you leaped beside him from rooftop to rooftop.

    "Was he wanting you to suck--"

    "Hidan." Kakuzu warned up ahead, not even turning around to look at the two of you.

    "No, he wasn't, thanks, church-boy." You began, narrowing your eyes at the jashinist. "You're too busy kissing this Jashin person's ass to realize there's other ways to spend your free time." Hidan took the bait of your challenge, smirking at you over his shoulder. "Bitch, you're too busy sucking Deidara's dick to realize the essence that is Jashin-sama!"

    "At least I have friends."

    "At least I have faith!"

    "Yeah right." You rolled your eyes. "In what?"

    "That's my fucking point, bitch!" Hidan pointed out, the grip on his scythe tightening.

    "Oops!" You rhetorically answered, dramatically shrugging at him. "Oh well!"

    "Shut up!" Kakuzu scowled, both of his hands popping from the sockets to reach forward and grip both you and Hidan by your throats. "I've had enough of your damned arguing." Kakuzu's left hand squeezed on your throat. "And didn't I tell you not to anger me, or I'll kill you!" His fingernails dug into the skin of your throat. His grip was tight, but not enough to completely deprive you of oxygen. "Okay, fine! Fine, fine, fine!"

    Kakuzu continued to jump from rooftop to rooftop. "Hidan. Stop being an idiot!" Kakuzu squeezed Hidan's throat so hard that one of his stitches popped out. "Yeah, yeah! I get it, asshole!" Hidan screeched, repeatedly punching Kakuzu's wrist and successfully releasing himself of Kakuzu's death grip. Kakuzu dropped you and you coughed, rubbing your throat and lagging behind Kakuzu's form. Hidan sucked in a heavy breath before turning his attention to you.

    "We make a good team, bitch."

    You coughed once more. "Like hell we do, church-boy," you sarcastically said. "I don't like you."

    Hidan whined and swung his scythe around in frustration, almost catching your shoulder with it. "Don't you agree with anything, bitch?!" He groaned.

    "Yeah, I do. I just did with Tobi!" You countered, picking yourself up from your knees and continuing onward behind Kakuzu who was now a couple rooftops away. Hidan followed behind, his arms stretched out as he continued to talk to you. "Oh?! What did you say to Tobi, huh!"

    "None of your business, church-boy!"

    "STOP calling me church boy, bitch!" Hidan shouted, swinging his scythe around again. Only, this time he was intending for it to hit you. You ducked just in time to grab the pole of the scythe and pull it from Hidan's hands with such speed that he was too surprised to stop you from your attack. You switched the position of the scythe so that it was positioned properly in your hands before kicking Hidan in the gut, knocking him over onto his back.

    "You bitch--!"

    "Could a bitch knock you down in four seconds, or what, church-boy?" You sadistically smirked and threw the scythe onto the ground at Hidan's feet. Hidan's face turned red in humiliation and anger.

    "See ya' later, Hidan!" You laughed, jumping away from him to catch up with Kakuzu.

    "COME BACK HERE, ASSHOLE! I'M GONNA GET YOU!"


	20. Zombies

    You'd like to say that the trip so far out of Amegakure was smooth sailing with no problems, but of course, that'd be a lie. It wasn't problem-free, because with Hidan's incessant mouth, you've come to understand why Kakuzu has killed every one of his past partners. But you supposed that it's a good thing that Hidan couldn't die, otherwise you wouldn't just be Kakuzu's subordinate, you'd be his next partner instead. That was something that you couldn't handle the thought of. These two men were people that you could never stand to be around for more than a single day. Why did Pain put you with these two? This was terrible.

    "Why do you walk so fast?!" Hidan complained, jogging to catch up to you. Kakuzu didn't even care, instead continuing on the path to the Wave country.

     You hated being asked questions like that. Well, maybe not from everyone, but definitely from Hidan. "Could you do me a favor and maybe stop asking such dumb questions?"

    Hidan curled his lip and growled, "Great, the new bitch is just like Kakuzu!" He threw his head back and groaned. "I thought that you would be more of a submissive bitch, but it turns out that you're a fucking—"

    "A what, idiot?" you interrupted, prodding him on. "Come on, finish that sentence. Then you'll see just how much of a submissive bitch I am. Finish it, asshole! I can take you on right here!"

    "No," Kakuzu denied, stopping in his tracks to whirl around and glare at both you and Hidan. "As my subordinate, I have the free will to make you do whatever I please." That bit made you shiver. "And as my subordinate I want you to walk forward."

    "Huh?" You questioned, one of your eyes squinting in confusion.

    "Now!" Kakuzu barked more aggressively, his eyes narrowing into slits. You jumped out of your skin just the slightest bit before huffing and ignoring the laughs that escaped Hidan's mouth. What's the big whoop? 'I command my subordinate to walk forward' my ass. This is a load of bullshit. Just as Kakuzu told you to, your fists clenched as you walked forward and dumbly refused to watch the ground.

    "Watch where you're going!" Kakuzu warned. You craned your neck to look over your shoulder at Kakuzu, still walking and about to answer to his warning had it not been for your foot catching on an invisible string tied between the trees on either side of you. A curt sound of surprise escaped you before you were yanked into the air by a rope tied around your ankle. Fifteen feet below your dangling form, Kakuzu silently sighed.

    "It looks like your foot got caught on something," he mocked, and Hidan burst out into snickers and yips—which is exactly what his laughter sounded like. You inwardly face-palmed and made a deadpan expression when you realized that Kakuzu made you walk forward on purpose. He wanted to use you as a test to make sure there weren't any traps. Looks like he got a laugh out of that, huh? The bastard. A loud, aggravated sigh was what you replied with. Kakuzu scanned the tree to search for any kind of enemy—finding none—before reaching to help you out, only to stop at your refusal.

    "No! Don't help me, old man! I don't want your help!" Arms dangling by your head and your cloak sliding down your legs, you looked pretty dumb caught in this situation.

    Kakuzu stared at you with nothing but those scrutinizing eyes before shaking his head. "Fine. Get yourself down then." 

    Hidan walked up to his partner and snickered at you again. "Look who really is a dumb bitch now!"

    Ignoring the idiot, you fumbled around with the sleeve of your cloak to get it out of the way of your fingers. The cloth slid down your arm in bunches as you reached up to blindly fumble around for your kunai pouch that was strapped to your thigh. A few kunai fell out when you opened the compartment, one almost nicking your ear before all of them fell to the ground with a dull clatter. Funny enough, one caught on Hidan's foot, the gray haired man responding with a shout of pain.

    "Ow!"

    Snatching a kunai before it, too, fell out of the pouch, you adjusted your grip on the weapon before effortlessly hauling your body up to grip the branch of the tree that the rope was tied to with your left hand. Using your right hand to cut the rope, you furrowed your brows and pursed your lips in concentration. Second by second, the rope thinned under the kunai's incessant rubbing and soon enough, the rope snapped.

    You plummeted to the ground, but not before using your gravity to slow down your descent and carefully landing back down on your feet. Adjusting your sleeves and cloak again, you patted off the dust and dirt before looking back up at Hidan with a triumphant gleam in your eyes. Hidan only gave you a scowl and threateningly raised his scythe.

    Kakuzu walked over to the tree and walked up the base towards the branch to eye and study the trap that you were unfortunately caught in. As he tinkered around with it, both you and Hidan were at each other's throats, the arguing becoming nothing more than background noise to Kakuzu. Someone was expecting company, Kakuzu thought. And I think I have an idea as to who the 'company' is. A smirk tugged his lips before Kakuzu ripped apart the trap and threw it into an unknown bush.

    Hopping back down from the tree, Kakuzu landed on the ground much harder than you did, the ground subtly shaking under your feet. The old man walked towards Hidan and you, his presence making the argument die down. "The bounty is the one that set up that trap," Kakuzu informed, his bi-colored eyes settling on you instead of Hidan because Kakuzu already knew that that idiot could care less about the bounty—and he was right. The only reason that Hidan really came on these bounty hunts was so that he could make sacrifices to this almighty god of his; no other reason, really. It got on Kakuzu's damn nerves. Maybe this girl could prove to be useful, if she really is his subordinate.

    You flicked your nose before closing your eyes and huffing, "Well, whoever this person is, I'm pretty damn mad at them for catching me."

    "That was your fault," Kakuzu asserted.

    "I don't know what you're talking about," you averted, sticking your nose up into the air and crossing your arms over your chest. Kakuzu raised his large hand and shoved your head, an action to which you stumbled at.

     Kakuzu snorted, looking away from you and snapping his attention to Hidan. "Stop whining and get moving."

    "But the bitch stabbed me with her knife!" Hidan loudly protested, his voice cracking at the end.

     Kakuzu grunted, "And?"

    In that one moment, Hidan's hatred for you and Kakuzu grew.

 

 

    It had been a couple of hours since that little mishap back there, and Hidan was getting quite bored with the silence. The three of you had been walking for forever. Hidan tried to fill in the silence with incessant chatter, but no luck had come from his attempts.

    As of the moment, you, Kakuzu, and Hidan were walking in a straight line on either side of each other. With Kakuzu to your left and Hidan to your right, the religious man found it easier to pester you, but still; even if you were annoyed, you didn't bother to open your mouth. Instead of trying to annoy Kakuzu and you for once, Hidan actually put some effort in trying to be a little decent in the conversation. Or, rather, one-sided conversation.

    "So, (Name)-chaaaaan," Hidan gushed as he leaned close to the side of your head, "Leader didn't give us any background on the newest member of this shitty organization! Who the hell are you, anyway?"

    You side-eyed Hidan and sniffed, distrust written all over your features. "Why the hell would you want to know that?"

    The over-enthusiastic expression on Hidan's face disappeared only to be replaced with a scowl. He leaned back and waved his arms around in frustration. "Why the fuck not! I don't see any problem in wanting to get to know you! Fucking shit, woman!"

    You stared at Hidan and raised a brow, swinging your arms back and forth with every step you took down the gravelly path. "Well, if you really want to know, I honestly have no problem sharing from time-to-time."

    The blood that rushed to Hidan's face in his frustration faded away, his face relaxing as his violet eyes stared at you. "What?" He questioned in disbelief. "You're fuckin' serious?"

    Closing your eyes and pressing the back of your hand to your forehead, you sighed and shook your head. Why was this idiot so... him? "You're the one that wants to know!" you stressed, throwing your hand away from your face to thrust it in Hidan's direction. Hidan, suddenly excited, leaned in and grinned at you, expecting to hear some tragic backstory.

    You locked eyes with Hidan for exactly five seconds before relaxing your expression and smirking at him. "SIKE!" Throwing your arm back, you backhanded Hidan across the face, sending him stumbling and falling into a bush on the side of the path. Screaming and fuming, Hidan thrashed within the branches and leaves, his face furious and loathing you with every ounce of his being.

    Beside you, Kakuzu let a snort escape him, trying to conceal his laughter. Kakuzu knows he wants to laugh, you thought, walking alongside the taller man and leaving Hidan in the dust. The rustling of leaves followed by a very aggravated shout made you scowl even more.

    When he did, Hidan tackled you to the ground and lifted his fist, landing a hard punch on your chin. Hidan's legs and weight were pinning you, making you unable to defend yourself as of the moment. Hidan was scowling but a maniac glint was in his violet eyes, making it seem as if he enjoyed hurting you.

     And, oh, he did.

    "This is payback, you stupid bitch!" Hidan shouted over the punches that he landed on your face. Your lip was busted, your eyebrow was split, your chin was bruising up, and your nose was bleeding, the blood trickling down the side of your face and into your hair. Hidan landed the hits very fast during your stupor. But now, you snapped out of it, your bruised and bloodied face contorting into that of anger, and you threw the Jashinist off of you. Turning the tables, you launched your foot directly into Hidan's right eye—hoping that it was his dominant one as your foot connected to his face—and when Hidan fell over, writhing in pain, you stomped on his face several times. Each time your foot met with skin, a sickening crunch followed by blood staining your clothes.

    "Don't fucking touch me, you bastard!" You growled, your left hand cupping over your bleeding nose and mouth. In the background, Kakuzu watched on, his bi-colored eyes staring at you intriguingly. Maybe this girl isn't useless after all? Kakuzu wondered.

    When you spat out the blood that found its way into your mouth from your nose and split lip, you turned around only to lock eyes with Kakuzu. Hidan, groaning on the ground, spat out the blood in his mouth as well. "You have... quite a temper with my partner," Kakuzu lowly said, his eyes observing you.

    Saying nothing, you looked away from Kakuzu and hung your head down as you marched forward and past the taller man. On the ground, Hidan groaned again. Kakuzu smirked under his mask at you. "Get up," Kakuzu commanded Hidan, and the silver-headed man snorted.

    "Fine!"

 

    "N-No! P-Please, please don't do this!" a young girl had screamed in terror, Hidan's shadow looming over her. Her bleach blond hair, stained in crusted blood from a deep gash on her forehead, hung over her wide, terrified eyes. The unnamed girl scrambled to get away from the Jashinist, but only ended up tripping over her own feet. Hands now being raised above her head to feebly protect her from Hidan's wrath, she shook in fright.

    The three of you had finally made it to your destination in Wave Country. Hidan had to make many "pit stops" on the way just for the sake of... endorsing his religion. Back to back, you had to watch Hidan mercilessly kill people. Kakuzu was nothing but annoyed at that. But, this time, Kakuzu allowed Hidan to kill the bounty.

    Hidan gave one of his maniacal laughs, raising his blood-stained scythe over his head. "You make this too easy!" And just like that, he brought the scythe down on the girl. You watched the scene, brows subtly furrowed and a frown on your face. Making your expression look as dead as possible was a coping mechanism to what you were watching. All throughout your teenager years, you had used this tactic to keep the bad things out. So far, it was working.

    With a very wet, squishy sound, Hidan eased his scythe out of the girl's limp body and slung the weapon around so that the sharp part was dangerously close to his face. You made a disgusted face at what Hidan did next; he licked the blood.

    He licked the blood.

    He licked it.

    "That's disgusting!" you commented, holding your hands together over your chest—but still making sure to keep the ignited stick to help see through the darkness of this cave out of the way of your hair—and still baring the same grossed out expression. Hidan paid you no mind, however; the only thing he did to acknowledge you was flip you off. You flipped him off back and crossed an arm over your chest, falling into step beside Hidan when he made his way over to you. "Did I really have to come in here?" you asked the silver-headed man, a brow raised in question as you threw the torch into a deep puddle, the fire extinguishing upon impact.

        "Yes!" Hidan said matter-of-factly, "I wanted you to watch me kill our damn mission! Your first mission!" He aggressively gestured at you and you scratched the back of your head.

        "Uh... right."

        You followed Hidan out of the cave and into the dusk sunlight, squinting a bit to adjust to the brightness. Hidan headed over to Kakuzu who was waiting against a tree, eyes closed and arms crossed. He had been waiting outside of the cave for about ten to fifteen minutes already. "Did you get the body?" Kakuzu asked without batting an eye, not even opening them to look at you.

        Hidan paused, his face freezing in a grin and stopping mid-step. After about two seconds, he loudly pouted and turned back around. "Shit!" He stood there facing you, his violet eyes finding your own (eye color) one's and his face morphing into a "but that's not my problem" expression.

        "Bitch! Get the body," he bossed, crossing his arms like Kakuzu would and looking down his nose at you.

        You looked up at him in disbelief. "...No?"

        Kakuzu cracked open his eyes and glared at you. "Girl," he barked, "get the body!"

        You stared at Kakuzu in protest. "But-"

        Kakuzu's eyes made you change your decision. He looked downright terrifying. "Fine..." You consented, slumping and trudging back into the cave. It seemed that now you did everything for those two since you were added onto this team. You hated Pain for putting you with them. As soon as you get back to the tower, you're going to go right up to Pain's quarters and complain.

        Actually... maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea.

        Soon enough, you were surrounded by darkness the farther you walked into the cave, the only thing that you could hear was the echoing of the wind in the back of the cave and your slow footsteps. Occasionally, you'd hear a dripping noise falling from the ceiling to the floor into a small puddle. "I can't see anything," you mumbled. "Why did I forget about those damn matches in Hidan's pocket—oh, wait!" You talked to yourself, roughly searching around in your pockets under the cloak and taking out a single match that you stole from Hidan. Holding it in front of you, you focused your chakra into the tip of your finger. A small bolt of lightening struck the tip of the match, igniting it.

        As soon as you lit it, however, you leaped back in fright to see that the murdered girl's mauled face was right there, on the stony floor. "Dammit!" you instinctively cursed, covering your mouth and nose when you smelled the horrid odor radiating from her.

        It took a moment to gather your bearings, but soon enough you clenched your free fist and leaned down to grab the girl's wrist. As you walked towards the light outside of the cave, the girls body dragged behind you, no doubt leaving a trail of blood. "Hurry up, bitch!" Hidan's demanding voice echoed from the front.

        "I'm right here, idiot!" you growled, and when you wrinkled your nose up and curled your lip, pain bloomed across your face. You sucked in a breath of pain, refusing to admit that simply a busted lip and bruised nose made tears manifest. Hidan scoffed at your weak moment and snatched the girl's body away from you, throwing it over to Kakuzu so that he could put the body over his shoulder.

        "Stop being such a damn wuss!" Hidan insulted, wiping his lips with the back of his hand to get rid of the excess blood. He himself also had remnants of your scuffle—his eye was badly bruised and his eyebrow was split, which had caused blood to seep down into his eyeball. Gross, yes, but you did that to him, and he deserved it. You ignored him and gently touched your lip with your index and middle finger, only to see blood when you pulled them away.

        "Looks like the both of us can pack a punch," you absentmindedly said, deciding to leave the injury alone and follow behind Kakuzu. Now, it was time to turn in the body to get money.

 

 

        The man at the station knew Kakuzu very well, according to what you had gathered. He was creepy, though—always looking at you with an odd look on his face. Just being around him made you feel uneasy. He practically lived in a station that harbored corpses; that was already creepy enough. You could remember how he looked you over for the first time when Kakuzu, Hidan, and you walked into his station.

        "Ah! Kakuzu-san, who is this?" He had asked, his eyes roving all over you and making you uncomfortable in your shoes.

        Kakuzu, not even glancing your way, threw the body onto an examination table near the back of the room and grunted, "My subordinate."

        The man was bald with a scar above his right eyebrow. He had large black eyebrows, a black beard, and unsettling, beady black eyes. He walked around Hidan, not even sparing a look in the Jashinist's direction before holding out his large hand for you. "Hello! I'm Kakuzu-san's bounty exchange officer, Zangei. I work at this station, so if you ever collect a wanted man and turn him in here, I'll exchange cash with you."

        You stared at his hand, not even lifting up your own to greet him like he had with you. Your eyes held a hard look to them as you glared at his palm and fingers, then lifted up your gaze to settle on his face, your mouth turned down at the corners. Behind Zangei, Hidan snickered at the interaction. Zangei only smirked under his thick mustache and said, "Well, still. Take my words into account, won't you?"

        Saying nothing, you stared at his back as he walked away, about to analyze the body that was set onto the cold, metal table. Kakuzu and Zangei exchanged a few words that you couldn't comprehend, so you turned around to walk out of the station. Hidan snatched the back of your cloak and pulled you back. "You can't leave, bitch! Don't you want to see the burning of that shitty body?"

        "No," you growled, elbowing Hidan's side. He sucked in a breath of pain, cursing under his breath. "I'm just walking outside. Let me go," You commanded, and much to your surprise, Hidan actually complied.

        But, just because he actually did what you said, didn't mean that he was any less annoying.

        "I swear, this is might just be the most difficult mission I've ever been on." Excluding the missions that I've done in Konoha as a little girl. "I hate your mouth." You complained, throwing your cheap pillow at Hidan. You had practically begged Kakuzu to let you go into a nearby store to purchase a pillow. No, it wasn't because you wanted to throw it at Hidan whenever you got aggravated; it was because you just wanted to hold it while you and the other two traveled back to Amegakure.

        Hidan stumbled at simply the force of the impact at which you threw the pillow into his face, immediately clutching it to his chest and throwing it back at you. It was easy catching it, and you threw it at Hidan again. Hidan scowled and threw it back, so on and so forth, until Hidan got irritated. "Sweet fuckin' Jashin above, STOP THROWING THAT FUCKING. PIL—"

        Slam! The pillow landed right smack in the middle of his face, and Hidan was silent for a moment as he held it to his head, his fingers slowly curling into the plush. Slowly, Hidan's growl turned into a drawn-out scream into the fabric, and you fought to keep your laughter in. Just as Hidan was about to yell profanities at you, Kakuzu spoke up.

        "We're back."

        And just like that, it was as if you stepped over a line and rain began to fall on top of you. But, for as far as the eye can see, barren landscape stretched out for miles. The gray sky above the three of you pelted the earth, the loud static-y noise drowning out everything else.

        "I can't wait until we get back. Then I can take a nice bath," you sighed dreamily, taking the pillow away from Hidan and clutching it to your chest.

        Hidan was silent for a moment, staring at you. "You have a side bathroom, right?"

        You inquisitively looked up at Hidan, your hair already soaking wet and sticking to your face. "Yeah? Why?"

        Hidan shook his head, staring out into the distance with an odd gleam in his eyes. "No reason."

        The three of you began to run to get to the hideout faster, with Kakuzu taking the lead.


	21. Doctor

        "I'm so fucking glad to be home!" Hidan cheered, making his way through the entrance and taking off to his room upstairs, leaving a trail of water behind him. That left you alone with Kakuzu, dripping and soaking wet, who was fingering through his wad of cash. Raising a brow, you eyed his thumb that was skillfully counting each bill.

        "Is counting money a hobby of yours or something?" you asked, completely forgetting about what Hidan had said about his partner when you were first brought here. Kakuzu's bi-colored eyes looked at you sideways as he paused in counting his money.

        "You could say that," he bluntly said, before heading upstairs himself. You followed after him, not even bothering to strike up a conversation. When the two of you made it to your floor, you headed down one hallway with Kakuzu heading down the other. As you walked down the hallway, passing Kisame's and Itachi's door, the thought of a nice, warm bath became even more wonderful.

        A loud, over-dramatic gasp interrupted you on the way to your room.

        You jumped, but then stopped walking. Expression turning from blank to downright annoyed, you scowled. Alright, this has been going on long enough, you thought, whirling around to face Tobi. Your hair that was sticking together from the excess rainwater danced around your head and some thick strands smacked onto your cheek, clinging and refusing to let go. Your feet were practically drowning in your sopping shoes and your cloak was dripping onto the tile floor. Your body was shivering, your wounds were bleeding, and you just wanted to take a bath.

        “I’m sick and tired of you people always stopping me from going into my room!” The aggravation in your voice was loud and clear. Tobi, who was very close to your back, leaped away from the tone in your voice and held his hands up near his obnoxiously bright mask in fright, his fingers loose and half-way through forming a fist.

        Your expression wasn’t entirely angry, but you held the expression of a mother getting onto an annoying child that wouldn’t stop clinging to her legs. Just subtly furrowing your brow aggravated the split skin, and you felt the gentle tickle of warm blood trickling down the area above your eyelid before it slipped through your eyelashes. Instinctively, you squeezed your eyes shut from the burn of the unwelcome liquid mixing with the clear liquid over your cornea.

        Tobi, very apprehensive and scared, stuttered out his next words. “(N-Name)-chan… (Name)-chan is hurt!” 'Thank you for pointing that out Captain Obvious,' you sarcastically thought. Raising your right hand to try and rub the bloody eye, your wrist was suddenly caught by a larger, gloved hand. Tobi’s grip was neither firm nor gentle—it was somewhere in between, but enough to stop you from touching it.

        “(Name)-chan,” Tobi began, making you pause to look up at his bright orange mask. “Where did these boo-boos come from?!” His voice was light with surprise and shock.

        You stared at Tobi with distrust for a moment before closing your eyes and sighing through your nose, “Hidan and I got in a scuffle while we were heading away from Amegakure.” Another gasp came from Tobi as you painfully grinned. “It doesn’t matter though, 'cause I got a few punches in, too!” A smirk took over your face in triumph.

        Tobi didn’t seem to be happy for you, much less find it amusing. He was sobbing and sniffling, and he reached up with his other hand to touch your split lip with surprising gentleness. You gazed up at Tobi as your breath was caught in your throat. “Tobi doesn’t find that cool at all!” Even though you couldn’t see it, it sounded as if his lip was pouting. “(Name)-chan broke her promise! She didn’t come back without being hurt!” The tone of his voice showed that he felt betrayed.

        You furrowed your brows at what he said. Since when did he make you promise not to come back unscathed? Your confused expression must have clued Tobi in on what you were thinking, despite him being a complete airhead.

        “(Name)-chan wasn’t listening to Tobi when she left on her mission with Kakuzu-san and Hidan-san!” he whined. You just noticed the fact that his hand was still holding onto your wrist, but oddly, you didn’t attempt to pull away from his grip. Your mind went back to what Tobi was about to say.

 

 

   Tobi hiccuped and nodded. "If Tobi is a good boy, will (Name)-chan come back soon?" He watched (Name) through the pouring rain, his clothes completely dry compared to hers. “Tobi doesn’t want (Name)-chan to come back without any boo-boo’s! Tobi will be upset if (Name)-chan’s pretty face gets hurt! Does (Name)-chan promise to come back without being hurt?”

        During Tobi’s spiel, he failed to notice that (Name) wasn’t even listening. Instead, her dazed eyes stared straight through Tobi. She was still, and her lips were subtly parted. Tobi couldn’t tell what she was feeling as of the moment. Whining out a little, Tobi shook his arms out.

   "(Name)-chan, (Name)-chan! Did (Name)-chan hear Tobi?" Tobi was flailing his arms to get your attention, his green scarf dancing behind him with his movements. (Name) blinked, snapping out of her daze and the blood flowing back into her cheeks. Tobi huffed.

 

 

        Tobi took an audible breath in. “Tobi told (Name)-chan to be careful and not get any boo-boos while she’s gone! Tobi made (Name)-chan promise, and (Name)-chan said, ‘I promise’ before she flew away!” At his words, you narrowed your eyes and tried to remember what he was talking about. Nothing came to mind as you scrounged through your memory. Nothing came to your mind about a promise. Nothing came to mind about Tobi even appearing as you left for your mission.

        “Tobi, you must be mistaken. I never even saw you before I left,” you confidently said, shaking your head as you looked back up at him.

        Tobi adamantly shook his head. “Nooo! Tobi hugged (Name)-chan goodbye! It was raining, and (Name)-chan was soaking wet like she is now!”

        You shook your head. "No, you didn't."

        Tobi was silent for a moment, probably eyeing you from under that mask of his. "Did (Name)-chan hit her head on something?"

        Squeezing your working eye shut and pursing your lips, you furrowed your brows to the point where a crease formed between them as you ignored Tobi's question, trying to remember…. You remembered Hidan being eager to leave and Kakuzu being him, as usual. The rest of your memory was foggy, but you do remember the two going ahead of you and you catching up to them. Though, nothing about Tobi.

        Awkwardly, you pulled your one-eyed gaze away from Tobi to guiltily look at his feet. You didn’t have anything to say.

        When Tobi pulled his fingertips away from your lip, they came back red. Once again, Tobi gasped and flailed his body around in a panic, his expression unknown under the mask. Bewildered, you stared up at him and immediately gasped yourself when Tobi lifted you up by the waist and ran down the hallway.

        “Tobi!” you beat on his shoulder blades. “Tobi, put me down!”

        “Tobi will make (Name)-chan feel better again! Tobi will be (Name)-chan’s doctor, okay?” he shouted, still running down the hallway.

        You groaned and put your face in your hands, trying your best to avoid the places that hurt. It was a futile attempt. Absently, your mind wandered down to his arms that were wrapped around your waist. A faint blush came over your face at the feel of his arms, but you successfully rid yourself of those thoughts. Lifting your head from your hands, you looked up and saw your door come into view. Tobi headed towards it, barging inside. 'I really hope that no one saw Tobi carry me in here. If they did, they’d think that we’re about to…'

        Your room was a mess. There were clothes all over the dresser and surrounding your bed, two pairs of underwear were on the mattress, and a single bra was hanging over the doorknob to the bathroom. Tobi didn’t seem to care, but he giggled hysterically when he saw the underclothes. You sent a firm, hard punch to the back of his head, making him yelp.

    “Stop staring at my underwear, you idiot!” you yelled, making Tobi flinch and pick up the pace towards your bathroom. When he finally managed to make it inside the large side room, he set you onto the sink counter and ducked down to where his head was almost in between your legs, his left hand gripping the edge of the counter beside your right knee. You lifted your legs up and moved as far away from his head as you could. Tobi rummaged through the cabinet beneath the sink, making an “Aha!” when he found what he was looking for.

    It was just a box of band-aids. Not the large kind that would cover large injuries like the purple bruise on your chin and cheekbone; just plain band-aids that you would wrap around your finger. They weren’t even the normal beige or white color; they had pink and blue cartoon patterns on them.

    Those were baby band-aids.

    Suddenly, the idea that Tobi was fully—or at least barely—capable faded away from your mind. Then it hit you—how did those band-aids get into your sink cabinet in the first place? ...Maybe they were already there before you occupied this room? Or, maybe Tobi was just being an idiot again.

    “Tobi,” you sighed in exasperation, “Do you honestly think that a toddler’s band-aid will help my face?” You gestured at your face with both of your hands. Completely clueless, Tobi looked up at you and tilted his head. “Why not, (Name)-chan?”

    You pinched the bridge of your nose and shook your head. “Tobi, if you want to help me, can you please get me some alcohol and a box of bigger band-aids?”

    Tobi whined at the demand. “But Tobi is the doctor! No, wait! From now on, (Name)-chan will address Tobi as…” He stepped away from you and did a very weird dance in the middle of your bathroom. “...Dr. Tobi!” A mysterious rose fell from his sleeve and made its way between his middle and index finger. Then, he made a very, very weird pose. And it totally didn’t look like Elvis’s famous pose.

    All the while, you were sitting on the counter staring at Tobi with an expression that screamed, 'You’re the dumbest person I’ve ever met, ever.' You shut your eye and sighed. 'I could really use Myu’s help right now.'

    “Who is Myu, (Name)-chan?” Tobi asked, his mask suddenly very close to your face. You leaned all the way back until your shoulder hit the mirror.

    “Did I say that out loud?”

    “Yes, (Name)-chan!” he confirmed, giggling like a schoolgirl. You rolled your eyes and pushed him away, sitting up properly from your slouching.

     “Myu is none of your concern, bozo,” you griped. Tobi slouched his shoulders and trekked out of the bathroom.

     “Tobi will get (Name)-chan what she needs…”

        And then he promptly came walking back in as soon as he walked out. "Tobi has what (Name)-chan wanted!"

        You didn't even ask how Tobi did that so fast, although the question was burning in your mind. Bah, to hell with it. "How did you get the alcohol and bandages so fast?"

        "(Name)-chan had them on her dresser," Tobi answered, moving to stand directly in front of you.

         You face-palmed and winced from the stinging pain. Of course. Moving to grab the alcohol, you cursed when Tobi pulled it away from you. "Tobi–"

        "Doctor Tobi!" the idiot corrected, holding the alcohol out of reach. You stared at Tobi with murderous intent before puffing out your cheeks. A throbbing pain in your head made you wince. Great—a headache; just what you needed.

        "Give me the alcohol!" you grouched, but Tobi wasn't deterred.

        "No! (Name)-chan, Dr. Tobi is the doctor!"

        "I don't give a sh–" Tobi covered your mouth with his free hand.

        "Dr. Tobi will fix his patient right up!" And like that, he grabbed a clean rag and put some alcohol on it. Years of experience with applying alcohol to your wounds made you expect the pain, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt still. You bit your lip, but winced—definitely shouldn't have done that. And to add salt to the wound, having another person treat your wounds made you very flinchy when it wasn't yourself.

        Tobi leaned forward as you leaned away from the rag. Tobi 'tsked' and reached a hand up to grip your chin, keeping you still. You didn't try to fight back. The one eye that didn't have blood in it focused on the bottom of Tobi's mask, avoiding the eye hole. When the rag met with your bleeding eyebrow, you sucked in a breath and your face twisted in pain at the burning sensation. Tobi's grip on your chin tightened when your head tried to lean away from the rag. He held the tip of the rag onto the wound for a few more seconds before beginning to rub the wound.

        "Dr. Tobi wants (Name)-chan to wait," Tobi coaxed, pulling back to grab another rag from the pantry beside the sink. He wet it with the faucet water, then returned to you and dabbed your eyebrow again, cleaning up the crusted blood and gently running it over your eyelid and under your eye, also cleaning up any excess blood that had trickled down your cheekbone like a tear.

        Your breath came out in gentle puffs as you reluctantly embraced what Tobi was doing for you instead of you doing it yourself. Despite Tobi's idiotic and childish attitude, his actions were tender and gentle. It was something that you hadn't received in a long, long time. Slowly, your eyelids fell and you shut your mouth. Tobi wiped the blood from your lip and chin, as well as the blood that had come from your nose.

        "Tobi thinks that Leader-sama shouldn't have put (Name)-chan with Hidan-san..." Tobi mumbled, preparing a small, thin bandage for your eyebrow.

        For some reason, Tobi sounded guilty.

        "...Don't worry about it," you muttered as Tobi put the bandage on your eyebrow. "I can handle Hidan just fine on my own, so there's no worries." Tobi shook his head and flicked your nose, making you blink several times at the action.

        "Dr. Tobi will be back! Please stay here, (Name)-chan!"

        Tobi ran out of the bathroom. You could hear his footfalls leave your bedroom and faintly down the hallway until you couldn't hear them anymore. He was probably fetching some ice for your swollen lip—hopefully. 'I bet he'll come back with something stupid, like a bottle of apple juice.'

        You sat in silence for about eight minutes before you decided to hop off of the counter. Heading into your bedroom, you stood in front of your bed as you peeled off your cloak and hung it up on a hook on the wall. The excess water that clung to it dripped onto the dark tile floor, forming a small puddle underneath it. Then, you took off your sopping sandals and your pants, leaving you in your shirt and underwear. As you pulled your quilt around your shoulders Tobi came running back into your bedroom, both of his hands holding onto a plastic bag that held a couple ice cubes.

        Tobi was immediately at your side, pressing the bag up to your busted lip for you as you sat down onto your bed. You took the bag from his hand and held it yourself, pushing him away from you. "Get off my bed," you said to him. "I don't want Tobi germs on it."

        The masked boy whined. "Awww! Tobi wants to be with (Name)-chan, though!"

        "I guess that's too bad, airhead!" you smirked and stared at his mask. 'I wonder what's under there,' you thought.

        "Why is (Name)-chan looking at Tobi like that?" Tobi wondered, his voice curious as he hung over the side of your bed, his hands gripping onto the blankets.

        "Huh?" You snapped out of your daze, blinking a couple of times before subtly shaking your head. "I wasn't looking at you!"

         Tobi giggled and said, "Whatever (Name)-chan says!"

        '...?! Did he—did he seriously just snark me?'

        "...Well, I'm going to take a shower, so... I need you to get out of my room." Awkwardly fidgeting, you pursed your lips as you stared at Tobi. The masked boy made a shy squeak before hopping up onto his feet and opening the bathroom door for you, inviting you in from your place on the bed. "(Name)-chan deserves to have doors opened for her!"

        Lightly blushing, you rolled your eyes as you slipped out from under the covers with the quilt still wrapped around you. "Tobi, that's enough."

        "Yes, (Name)-chan!"

        As you walked over to Tobi, you paused on your way into the room. 'Should I say thank you? No, that'll be too awkward. Well, no, he did do all of this for me... but it'll be so embarrassing. Ugh - just say it, (Name)!' Licking your dry lips, you looked to your right at Tobi, who still had his hand on the knob of the door, waiting for you to go in. You looked directly into the eye-hole of his mask and quietly said:

        "...Thank you, Tobi."

        Tobi's head cocked to the side before he giggled. "(Name)-chan deserves the best!"

        Eyebrows furrowing and eyes glistening, your lips turned down at the corners. 'No I don't.' "Whatever you say, Tobi." And then you walked in, shutting the bathroom door behind you and getting ready for your long-awaited bath, missing Tobi's shoulders tense in surprise.


	22. Settled

        A few months passed since your first mission with Kakuzu and Hidan. Ever since then you've been going on constant missions with the two of them, especially missions where Kakuzu went without Hidan, so it was just the two of you... alone. One night, Kakuzu had even openly admitted to you, his subordinate, that you were way better than Hidan when it came to travelling. But that didn't mean that Kakuzu liked you.

        Hidan, on the other hand, had been a constant pain in the ass all the time. You can recall how one morning you woke up to do what you always did in the bathroom, when bam, the Jashinist was passed out in your bathtub with some sort of jelly from a dessert on his chin. It may come as a shock to some—sarcasm—but you had dragged him out by his elbow and... well, Hidan woke up and the two of you broke out into a wrestling match on your bedroom floor.

        Hidan and you had a thing going on where the both of you would just wrestle if you felt like it. You hated Hidan, Hidan hated you, so everything worked out well. The pent up aggression that fueled the both of you helped out a lot when it came to fighting. Even funnier, you were definitely stronger than Hidan, so you ended up winning every match. Kisame found it hilarious—at least, until he was pulled into a fight a while back. Since then, Kisame has been displeased with the mere thought of being in the same room as the two of you. Kisame also found you to be more of a pleasure to be around instead of Hidan, so this resulted in a blossoming comradeship between the two of you. You deemed Kisame to be a respectable person and also a pleasure to be around, just like how Kisame thought of you.

        Kisame Hoshigaki was one of the only few that you really acquainted yourself with. Just like how you and Hidan would battle it out in the hideout—much to Pein's and everyone else's chagrin—you and Kisame liked to practice together from time to time. If you were being completely honest with yourself, you'd have to say that you definitely enjoyed the challenge of fighting the swordsman and training with him has even improved your skills; sharpened them, even. You've definitely gotten stronger since you began hanging out with the big blue man. Kisame didn't think that he really had a humor, and hey—that may have been true, but he was still... pleasant. The shark-man wasn't half bad, and you made it known that you really enjoyed his presence despite your first couple of encounters. They may have been awkward, but it turned out better after all.

        Deidara and you moved past the awkwardness and Deidara finally stopped acting like he liked the awkward silences. You hated them, too. When you said that they were okay, they were, in fact, not. The more Deidara and yourself talked, the more Deidara would act like his normal, art-loving, "art is a bang" self. It was way better than what you thought was okay—you were just glad that the silences were over.

        As for his "buddy" Sasori of the Red Sand—that weird puppet guy that could swivel his head around in a full one-eighty on his shoulders—you never talked to him. Didn't want to, didn't need to, never had to, and you wanted it to stay that way. You couldn't believe that you thought becoming friends with him was a "maybe".

        Oh, and that one thing that you saw at your entrance to this hellhole—the one with the flytrap around his torso—you've met him. Zetsu was his name as a whole, he had told you. However, I'm White Zetsu, and he is Black Zetsu. He doesn't talk much. ... Black Zetsu promptly told you to get out of the way. The only other information that you had about him is that he was a spy for the Akatsuki, and that Tobi was his subordinate.

        You wished that you knew that that flytrap around his head was for, though. Did... he eat stuff with that? No—did he eat people? That would explain the largeness of the flytrap. He couldn't possibly use that thing to chow down on bugs and frogs. That was the first and only encounter that you've had with the plant-man since then.

        There was one member that you've been itching to talk to since the day that you arrived, however. One person that has been scarce all around, one person that you've only seen during meetings and rarely outside of them.

        Itachi Uchiha.

        Ever since you found out that he was an Uchiha, it was as if you were immediately intrigued. Itachi was from the same clan as him. You wanted to ask Itachi questions—but what could you ask? Your mind was a jumble of thoughts that were unable to untangle themselves to find the proper words. He's caught you staring at him from across the room during those rare times that you've seen him. The memory of Itachi's Mangekyo swirling within his irises chilled you into silence, freezing all of your muscles and bones to a standstill. This was the first time that you had actually seen a Sharingan in person, and it kept you frozen. It was incredibly tempting to walk up to Itachi and just talk to him, but... you couldn't. You couldn't. You... were scared. Asking yourself what you were scared of was meaningless. You knew why you were scared to talk to him.

        It's because you didn't want to have to face the aura of an Uchiha again. It might just make you break down and think thoughts of him... terrible thoughts of him. All that you wanted from the Uchiha besides a "hello" every now and then was friendship. But this, this was holding you back.

        Ever since your ceremony into the Akatsuki, you've been plagued with dreams of the past—of your life in Konoha, memories of certain gone but not forgotten friends, and him. It's been making you restless. You didn't want to look at them again. Reliving that life in your dreams has been a nightmare for you. They may have not been scary, but they sure have been one pain in the ass to deal with.

        You would rather throw yourself into enemy territory with no weapons than see through a little girl's eyes at night.

        The dreams were taking a toll on you—you could tell. If you had bags under your eyes before, they were worse now. If any of the others noticed, then they haven't said anything, because the sleepless nights were showing as plain as the blue sky. Well, Hidan noticed, and he was being a total jackass about it. And ever since the dreams started happening, you haven't told a soul about them.

        As for Tobi, you haven't been seeing him as much as you have been before your graduation. He's been coming and going with Zetsu to who-knows-where doing who-knows-what, and any of the other Akatsuki members like Kisame or Deidara might say that you're happy because of this.

        Oddly, you weren't.

        The constant presence of Tobi dwindled. When Tobi was around, you'd want nothing more than for him to go away and leave you alone. But now that he wasn't there, something within you wanted him back. Over the months, you've also come to a steady realization: Tobi reminded you of him. Of Obito.

        Not completely. Tobi was his own person and it was wrong of you to like him simply because he gave you nostalgia. You needed to like him because he was him, not... some deceased... boy. Tobi was a one of a kind, though. Even though you didn't want to admit it, he had many things about him that stood out to you. An obvious one was how he spoke of himself in third person. It was almost... sweet. Or how he always brought you the same small, skinny flower with pink petals whenever he saw you. You were surprised that he remembered you sort of liked that flower. It was pretty.

        He always gave you hugs—you actually liked them. You think that Tobi had an idea that you liked them, since you never really got mad and yelled at him when he did it. Or threw bombs, for that matter. Tobi loved candy, and he always vacuumed any tasty sweets that were around. Whenever he was walking around the hideout with candy in his hands, he never let anyone get close to his personal candy. Except for you—he actually wanted to give you some, but you always denied the candy every time. This didn't stop Tobi from offering, however.

        Tobi always skipped around the base like a bee among a bunch of dark and genocidal maniacs; you were fond of this. It was nice to have a ray of sunshine around the base instead of a bunch of angst-y and depressed zombies. The pumpkin-masked man always tried to get you to come with him to places such as going to the candy store or a nearby village to have fun—if you didn't want to do this, he'd always have alternatives like playing hide 'n seek; duck, duck, goose; seriously, that is one of the most anxiety-inducing games that you have ever played with Tobi. The both of you were quite fast—you were fast because of your kekkei genkai as it messed with gravity, so it was basically your own plaything. Once during a game of duck, duck, goose you asked Tobi why he was so fast.

        "Tobi must be fast just because of magic, (Name)-chan!" He had answered. You pouted after that. Tobi might even be faster than even you. You guessed that this was just one strength that could be potentially beneficial for the Akatsuki, somehow. During that same round of duck, duck, goose you'd gotten tired of him evading you, so in a fit of aggravation, you reached out your arm and gripped his green scarf, yanking him back and making him fall hard on his back.

        "Owwie, (Name)-chan!" He whined out, rolling over to curl into a fetal position.

"You're not dead, Tobi." You grunted, bumping his back with the front of your foot. "Just get up!" Another thing to mention is that it was just the two of you playing duck, duck, goose most of the time. It was pretty funny to picture you, a woman that could break through four hard walls at once with just the help of your shoulder and kekkei genkai, repeatedly pat Tobi's head while saying, "Duck... Duck... Duck..." with Tobi giggling the entire time and sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the floor.

        Tobi let you have fun. 'Fun' wasn't something that you were able to experience easily, nowadays. And with Tobi leaving regularly with Zetsu now, you missed him.

        He was the person that you were closest with in this place.

 

        Your thoughts were interrupted when your door opened, revealing none other than Kisame himself. "We have a meeting. Come on."

        Getting up from the seat at the desk in your room, you nodded, your cloak swishing at the movement of your legs. "Alright."

        "I'm so fucking glad to be home!" Hidan cheered, making his way through the entrance and taking off to his room upstairs, leaving a trail of water behind him. That left you alone with Kakuzu, dripping and soaking wet, who was fingering through his wad of cash. Raising a brow, you eyed his thumb that was skillfully counting each bill.

        "Is counting money a hobby of yours or something?" you asked, completely forgetting about what Hidan had said about his partner when you were first brought here. Kakuzu's bi-colored eyes looked at you sideways as he paused in counting his money.

        "You could say that," he bluntly said, before heading upstairs himself. You followed after him, not even bothering to strike up a conversation. When the two of you made it to your floor, you headed down one hallway with Kakuzu heading down the other. As you walked down the hallway, passing Kisame's and Itachi's door, the thought of a nice, warm bath became even more wonderful.

        A loud, over-dramatic gasp interrupted you on the way to your room.

        You jumped, but then stopped walking. Expression turning from blank to downright annoyed, you scowled. Alright, this has been going on long enough, you thought, whirling around to face Tobi. Your hair that was sticking together from the excess rainwater danced around your head and some thick strands smacked onto your cheek, clinging and refusing to let go. Your feet were practically drowning in your sopping shoes and your cloak was dripping onto the tile floor. Your body was shivering, your wounds were bleeding, and you just wanted to take a bath.

        “I’m sick and tired of you people always stopping me from going into my room!” The aggravation in your voice was loud and clear. Tobi, who was very close to your back, leaped away from the tone in your voice and held his hands up near his obnoxiously bright mask in fright, his fingers loose and half-way through forming a fist.

        Your expression wasn’t entirely angry, but you held the expression of a mother getting onto an annoying child that wouldn’t stop clinging to her legs. Just subtly furrowing your brow aggravated the split skin, and you felt the gentle tickle of warm blood trickling down the area above your eyelid before it slipped through your eyelashes. Instinctively, you squeezed your eyes shut from the burn of the unwelcome liquid mixing with the clear liquid over your cornea.

        Tobi, very apprehensive and scared, stuttered out his next words. “(N-Name)-chan… (Name)-chan is hurt!” 'Thank you for pointing that out Captain Obvious,' you sarcastically thought. Raising your right hand to try and rub the bloody eye, your wrist was suddenly caught by a larger, gloved hand. Tobi’s grip was neither firm nor gentle—it was somewhere in between, but enough to stop you from touching it.

        “(Name)-chan,” Tobi began, making you pause to look up at his bright orange mask. “Where did these boo-boos come from?!” His voice was light with surprise and shock.

        You stared at Tobi with distrust for a moment before closing your eyes and sighing through your nose, “Hidan and I got in a scuffle while we were heading away from Amegakure.” Another gasp came from Tobi as you painfully grinned. “It doesn’t matter though, 'cause I got a few punches in, too!” A smirk took over your face in triumph.

        Tobi didn’t seem to be happy for you, much less find it amusing. He was sobbing and sniffling, and he reached up with his other hand to touch your split lip with surprising gentleness. You gazed up at Tobi as your breath was caught in your throat. “Tobi doesn’t find that cool at all!” Even though you couldn’t see it, it sounded as if his lip was pouting. “(Name)-chan broke her promise! She didn’t come back without being hurt!” The tone of his voice showed that he felt betrayed.

        You furrowed your brows at what he said. Since when did he make you promise not to come back unscathed? Your confused expression must have clued Tobi in on what you were thinking, despite him being a complete airhead.

        “(Name)-chan wasn’t listening to Tobi when she left on her mission with Kakuzu-san and Hidan-san!” he whined. You just noticed the fact that his hand was still holding onto your wrist, but oddly, you didn’t attempt to pull away from his grip. Your mind went back to what Tobi was about to say.

 

 

   Tobi hiccuped and nodded. "If Tobi is a good boy, will (Name)-chan come back soon?" He watched (Name) through the pouring rain, his clothes completely dry compared to hers. “Tobi doesn’t want (Name)-chan to come back without any boo-boo’s! Tobi will be upset if (Name)-chan’s pretty face gets hurt! Does (Name)-chan promise to come back without being hurt?”

        During Tobi’s spiel, he failed to notice that (Name) wasn’t even listening. Instead, her dazed eyes stared straight through Tobi. She was still, and her lips were subtly parted. Tobi couldn’t tell what she was feeling as of the moment. Whining out a little, Tobi shook his arms out.

   "(Name)-chan, (Name)-chan! Did (Name)-chan hear Tobi?" Tobi was flailing his arms to get your attention, his green scarf dancing behind him with his movements. (Name) blinked, snapping out of her daze and the blood flowing back into her cheeks. Tobi huffed.

 

 

        Tobi took an audible breath in. “Tobi told (Name)-chan to be careful and not get any boo-boos while she’s gone! Tobi made (Name)-chan promise, and (Name)-chan said, ‘I promise’ before she flew away!” At his words, you narrowed your eyes and tried to remember what he was talking about. Nothing came to mind as you scrounged through your memory. Nothing came to your mind about a promise. Nothing came to mind about Tobi even appearing as you left for your mission.

        “Tobi, you must be mistaken. I never even saw you before I left,” you confidently said, shaking your head as you looked back up at him.

        Tobi adamantly shook his head. “Nooo! Tobi hugged (Name)-chan goodbye! It was raining, and (Name)-chan was soaking wet like she is now!”

        You shook your head. "No, you didn't."

        Tobi was silent for a moment, probably eyeing you from under that mask of his. "Did (Name)-chan hit her head on something?"

        Squeezing your working eye shut and pursing your lips, you furrowed your brows to the point where a crease formed between them as you ignored Tobi's question, trying to remember…. You remembered Hidan being eager to leave and Kakuzu being him, as usual. The rest of your memory was foggy, but you do remember the two going ahead of you and you catching up to them. Though, nothing about Tobi.

        Awkwardly, you pulled your one-eyed gaze away from Tobi to guiltily look at his feet. You didn’t have anything to say.

        When Tobi pulled his fingertips away from your lip, they came back red. Once again, Tobi gasped and flailed his body around in a panic, his expression unknown under the mask. Bewildered, you stared up at him and immediately gasped yourself when Tobi lifted you up by the waist and ran down the hallway.

        “Tobi!” you beat on his shoulder blades. “Tobi, put me down!”

        “Tobi will make (Name)-chan feel better again! Tobi will be (Name)-chan’s doctor, okay?” he shouted, still running down the hallway.

        You groaned and put your face in your hands, trying your best to avoid the places that hurt. It was a futile attempt. Absently, your mind wandered down to his arms that were wrapped around your waist. A faint blush came over your face at the feel of his arms, but you successfully rid yourself of those thoughts. Lifting your head from your hands, you looked up and saw your door come into view. Tobi headed towards it, barging inside. 'I really hope that no one saw Tobi carry me in here. If they did, they’d think that we’re about to…'

        Your room was a mess. There were clothes all over the dresser and surrounding your bed, two pairs of underwear were on the mattress, and a single bra was hanging over the doorknob to the bathroom. Tobi didn’t seem to care, but he giggled hysterically when he saw the underclothes. You sent a firm, hard punch to the back of his head, making him yelp.

    “Stop staring at my underwear, you idiot!” you yelled, making Tobi flinch and pick up the pace towards your bathroom. When he finally managed to make it inside the large side room, he set you onto the sink counter and ducked down to where his head was almost in between your legs, his left hand gripping the edge of the counter beside your right knee. You lifted your legs up and moved as far away from his head as you could. Tobi rummaged through the cabinet beneath the sink, making an “Aha!” when he found what he was looking for.

    It was just a box of band-aids. Not the large kind that would cover large injuries like the purple bruise on your chin and cheekbone; just plain band-aids that you would wrap around your finger. They weren’t even the normal beige or white color; they had pink and blue cartoon patterns on them.

    Those were baby band-aids.

    Suddenly, the idea that Tobi was fully—or at least barely—capable faded away from your mind. Then it hit you—how did those band-aids get into your sink cabinet in the first place? ...Maybe they were already there before you occupied this room? Or, maybe Tobi was just being an idiot again.

    “Tobi,” you sighed in exasperation, “Do you honestly think that a toddler’s band-aid will help my face?” You gestured at your face with both of your hands. Completely clueless, Tobi looked up at you and tilted his head. “Why not, (Name)-chan?”

    You pinched the bridge of your nose and shook your head. “Tobi, if you want to help me, can you please get me some alcohol and a box of bigger band-aids?”

    Tobi whined at the demand. “But Tobi is the doctor! No, wait! From now on, (Name)-chan will address Tobi as…” He stepped away from you and did a very weird dance in the middle of your bathroom. “...Dr. Tobi!” A mysterious rose fell from his sleeve and made its way between his middle and index finger. Then, he made a very, very weird pose. And it totally didn’t look like Elvis’s famous pose.

    All the while, you were sitting on the counter staring at Tobi with an expression that screamed, 'You’re the dumbest person I’ve ever met, ever.' You shut your eye and sighed. 'I could really use Myu’s help right now.'

    “Who is Myu, (Name)-chan?” Tobi asked, his mask suddenly very close to your face. You leaned all the way back until your shoulder hit the mirror.

    “Did I say that out loud?”

    “Yes, (Name)-chan!” he confirmed, giggling like a schoolgirl. You rolled your eyes and pushed him away, sitting up properly from your slouching.

     “Myu is none of your concern, bozo,” you griped. Tobi slouched his shoulders and trekked out of the bathroom.

     “Tobi will get (Name)-chan what she needs…”

        And then he promptly came walking back in as soon as he walked out. "Tobi has what (Name)-chan wanted!"

        You didn't even ask how Tobi did that so fast, although the question was burning in your mind. Bah, to hell with it. "How did you get the alcohol and bandages so fast?"

        "(Name)-chan had them on her dresser," Tobi answered, moving to stand directly in front of you.

         You face-palmed and winced from the stinging pain. Of course. Moving to grab the alcohol, you cursed when Tobi pulled it away from you. "Tobi–"

        "Doctor Tobi!" the idiot corrected, holding the alcohol out of reach. You stared at Tobi with murderous intent before puffing out your cheeks. A throbbing pain in your head made you wince. Great—a headache; just what you needed.

        "Give me the alcohol!" you grouched, but Tobi wasn't deterred.

        "No! (Name)-chan, Dr. Tobi is the doctor!"

        "I don't give a sh–" Tobi covered your mouth with his free hand.

        "Dr. Tobi will fix his patient right up!" And like that, he grabbed a clean rag and put some alcohol on it. Years of experience with applying alcohol to your wounds made you expect the pain, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt still. You bit your lip, but winced—definitely shouldn't have done that. And to add salt to the wound, having another person treat your wounds made you very flinchy when it wasn't yourself.

        Tobi leaned forward as you leaned away from the rag. Tobi 'tsked' and reached a hand up to grip your chin, keeping you still. You didn't try to fight back. The one eye that didn't have blood in it focused on the bottom of Tobi's mask, avoiding the eye hole. When the rag met with your bleeding eyebrow, you sucked in a breath and your face twisted in pain at the burning sensation. Tobi's grip on your chin tightened when your head tried to lean away from the rag. He held the tip of the rag onto the wound for a few more seconds before beginning to rub the wound.

        "Dr. Tobi wants (Name)-chan to wait," Tobi coaxed, pulling back to grab another rag from the pantry beside the sink. He wet it with the faucet water, then returned to you and dabbed your eyebrow again, cleaning up the crusted blood and gently running it over your eyelid and under your eye, also cleaning up any excess blood that had trickled down your cheekbone like a tear.

        Your breath came out in gentle puffs as you reluctantly embraced what Tobi was doing for you instead of you doing it yourself. Despite Tobi's idiotic and childish attitude, his actions were tender and gentle. It was something that you hadn't received in a long, long time. Slowly, your eyelids fell and you shut your mouth. Tobi wiped the blood from your lip and chin, as well as the blood that had come from your nose.

        "Tobi thinks that Leader-sama shouldn't have put (Name)-chan with Hidan-san..." Tobi mumbled, preparing a small, thin bandage for your eyebrow.

        For some reason, Tobi sounded guilty.

        "...Don't worry about it," you muttered as Tobi put the bandage on your eyebrow. "I can handle Hidan just fine on my own, so there's no worries." Tobi shook his head and flicked your nose, making you blink several times at the action.

        "Dr. Tobi will be back! Please stay here, (Name)-chan!"

        Tobi ran out of the bathroom. You could hear his footfalls leave your bedroom and faintly down the hallway until you couldn't hear them anymore. He was probably fetching some ice for your swollen lip—hopefully. 'I bet he'll come back with something stupid, like a bottle of apple juice.'

        You sat in silence for about eight minutes before you decided to hop off of the counter. Heading into your bedroom, you stood in front of your bed as you peeled off your cloak and hung it up on a hook on the wall. The excess water that clung to it dripped onto the dark tile floor, forming a small puddle underneath it. Then, you took off your sopping sandals and your pants, leaving you in your shirt and underwear. As you pulled your quilt around your shoulders Tobi came running back into your bedroom, both of his hands holding onto a plastic bag that held a couple ice cubes.

        Tobi was immediately at your side, pressing the bag up to your busted lip for you as you sat down onto your bed. You took the bag from his hand and held it yourself, pushing him away from you. "Get off my bed," you said to him. "I don't want Tobi germs on it."

        The masked boy whined. "Awww! Tobi wants to be with (Name)-chan, though!"

        "I guess that's too bad, airhead!" you smirked and stared at his mask. 'I wonder what's under there,' you thought.

        "Why is (Name)-chan looking at Tobi like that?" Tobi wondered, his voice curious as he hung over the side of your bed, his hands gripping onto the blankets.

        "Huh?" You snapped out of your daze, blinking a couple of times before subtly shaking your head. "I wasn't looking at you!"

         Tobi giggled and said, "Whatever (Name)-chan says!"

        '...?! Did he—did he seriously just snark me?'

        "...Well, I'm going to take a shower, so... I need you to get out of my room." Awkwardly fidgeting, you pursed your lips as you stared at Tobi. The masked boy made a shy squeak before hopping up onto his feet and opening the bathroom door for you, inviting you in from your place on the bed. "(Name)-chan deserves to have doors opened for her!"

        Lightly blushing, you rolled your eyes as you slipped out from under the covers with the quilt still wrapped around you. "Tobi, that's enough."

        "Yes, (Name)-chan!"

        As you walked over to Tobi, you paused on your way into the room. 'Should I say thank you? No, that'll be too awkward. Well, no, he did do all of this for me... but it'll be so embarrassing. Ugh - just say it, (Name)!' Licking your dry lips, you looked to your right at Tobi, who still had his hand on the knob of the door, waiting for you to go in. You looked directly into the eye-hole of his mask and quietly said:

        "...Thank you, Tobi."

        Tobi's head cocked to the side before he giggled. "(Name)-chan deserves the best!"

        Eyebrows furrowing and eyes glistening, your lips turned down at the corners. 'No I don't.' "Whatever you say, Tobi." And then you walked in, shutting the bathroom door behind you and getting ready for your long-awaited bath, missing Tobi's shoulders tense in surprise.


	23. Myū

Eleven Years Ago

 

        The day was sunny, but crisp. The small village that you were occupying—somewhere near the Lightning Country, just outside the border—was lively, even if they didn't really have any ninja guarding their home. The villagers crowded the streets, mingling and buying produce from many different stands that sold a variety of vegetables among other things. The air was full of conversation without any distinct words, and just loud enough that you could hear it from within the small home that you were staying in for the night.

        A middle aged woman saw you roaming the streets after dark, just after you arrived at the village. The brunette woman was sweeping her doorstep to get any excess dirt off the patio from the day. She called out to you, asking if you had a place to stay. With a "no" reply coming from your end, the Miss invited you to come and sleep in the living room.

        "I have milk from the cow out back… and some pastries, if you want them, sweetheart." She offered when you showed hesitance. This won you over—along with your stomach. After this, you exchanged names. Hers was Rada, and yours was "Marui".

        The next morning—the present—you were cracking your eyes open to see the sliding door in the living room wide open. Sunlight poured through the common room and everywhere else that you could see. The air smelled of milk and bread, and once again your stomach growled for something to eat. Sheepishly, you pulled the quilt off of your body and went straight for the kitchen, looking for Rada.

        Not seeing her making anything in the kitchen or even washing up in the next room, you wandered back into the common room and peeked out of the sliding door to look out into the back yard. There Rada was, petting the soft brown cow that mooed whenever she patted the side of its tummy.

        Rada noticed you watching her interact with the cow and she smiled and waved. "Good morning, Marui! You must be hungry, right?" A bit embarrassed, you mutely nodded. Rada laughed at your reddish cheeks and waved you over to stand by her. You yawned behind your hand as you stepped out into the back patio and then into the soft grass of this woman's back yard, moving over to her and her cow.

        "This is Moo–Moo." Rada informed you, giving a nice sunny smile as she continued to pat… Moo–Moo.

        You raised your brow and with curiosity hinted in your voice, you wondered, "Why Moo–Moo?"

        "Why not? It's cute! Plus, I'm a little bad at naming animals. I just name them… you know, what they are or what they do. Like my sister, who has a bird named Bird."* Rada giggled, and you smiled a little at that.

        Rada turned to you and planted her gloved hands on her hips. "You said you were hungry?"

        You nodded at her.

        Nodding back in acknowledgment, Rada gently moved around you to make her way back into her home. "Hold on, sweetheart. I have to check and see if I have any eggs left from yesterday morning; I forget easily!"

        Not saying anything, you simply watched her power–walk back into the house through the open doors and after that, you couldn't see her anymore. Turning your head when the cow—Moo–Moo—nudged its nose into your back, you watched as its ears flicked and it mooed softly. The cow was very fluffy and it vaguely smelled like soap—perhaps Rada washed the cow recently.

        Raising your hand to pet the cow on its forehead, right between the ears, the corner of your mouth quirked up. "Good Moo–Moo," you said softly, turning around completely to use both of your hands and pet Moo–Moo with them. The chocolate–brown cow made no sounds, only blinking a couple times and rubbing its head into your hands. You figured that the cow was female, since you saw no evidence of it being male—plus, there was a glass by Moo–Moo that was filled with milk.

        "You're a very friendly girl," You noted as Moo–Moo's thin tail flipped around behind her.

        Suddenly, the voice of Rada called out to you. "Marui–chan! Before I make breakfast, can I ask you a favor?"

        "I'm all ears, Miss Rada!" You called back.

        Rada gave you a thumbs up thankfully and said, "I'm all out of eggs! Do you think that you can make a run to the market up the road and get me some more? I have money right here!" She raised a small pouch of coins, gesturing to it to prove herself further.

        It's either no breakfast or get those eggs. You nodded and jogged back up to the house, taking the pouch from Rada. "Okay. Thank you." You sighed. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes. How many eggs do you want?"

        Rada said right after you asked, "A dozen."

        "A dozen?"

        "A dozen." Rada confirmed. She patted your shoulder and gently pushed you through the common room, through a hallway, and to the front door. As she opened it for you, she reached down—mildly groaning as she did it—and picked up a basket with a cloth covering the top. "Just put the eggs in here, alright? Come back safe."

        Not reacting a bit as you hooked the basket over your elbow, you headed out the door with the pouch of money hooked to the belt on your waist.

        The noise and chatter that you woke up to this morning was gradually becoming more louder as time passed, for the sun was rising higher in the sky with each passing hour, and with that, more of the villagers were awakening and getting on with their day.

        Different residents paid you no heed since you were blending in and doing the exact thing as them: marketing. As you passed a particular area of the village you saw five or six kids in between the ages of six and eight playing a game that involved a single can. They were kicking it around and one particular child was being a little more competitive than the others, to which they all complained about.

        Shaking your head and continuing through the market, your eyes scanned over all of the different stands. One man wearing a pink-stained white apron was firmly setting fresh fish onto the wooden counter of his own stand, the smell of fish and seawater infiltrating your senses. Inwardly, you gagged at the salty smell. You were never one for the fishy smell of the sea, nor for swimming. There was no reason to, after all.

        Let's see… you hummed in your mind. Vegetable stand, vegetable stand, dairy stand, teabag stand, ramen stand, a stand for fresh beverages… Aha! You finally spotted a small area of the market that had a chicken coop beside one particular stand. A rooster was hopping and cuckooing at random, hopping and strutting around the man that ran the stand in a domineering fashion. But, the man paid the rooster no heed, simply shooing it away from his feet whenever he almost stepped on it since it seemed the rooster kept getting in the way.

        On the counter was a full stack of fresh eggs that would no doubt fill up your tummy for a few hours of the day. You hungrily looked over them as you got closer and closer to them and the man.

        He eyed you as he set his forearm flat onto the wooden counter. "Lookin' for business?" He grunted impassively.

        "I just want a dozen of these eggs." You stated. The marketeer held out his hand. "That'll be ¥365." He said.

        Unhooking the basket from your elbow and temporarily setting it onto the counter, you took your left hand and reached for the ryo pouch on your hip. Expecting it to be there, your heart began to thump quickly at discovering that no, it wasn't there. Your hand patted down on nothing but your belt.

        Oh no… You inwardly whispered, your eyes quickly glancing up at the marketeer. "Well, girl? Do you have the ryo or not?" He grunted, his face becoming more stern. You ignored him as you began to think over how you could have lost the ryo. It was hooked on my belt, but it was hidden by my shirt. There's no way that someone could have seen the pouch unless they looked very carefully, which no one did. No one was paying me any mind. But of course, that might have been what the villagers wanted me to think. Any one of these people could have stolen the money. Damn it! And the pouch was carefully clipped to my belt. I've hooked heavier things on it, so it'd be silly for it to just fall off and lose it in the crowd. Wait, you leaned a little bit to lift up the part of your shirt that the pouch was hidden under to inspect the clasp on your belt. Nope, the clasp isn't defective. Someone stole my fucking money!

        Sighing with aggravation coated in your voice, you looked up at the taller man. "Sir, I'll have to excuse myself." You said, hooking the basket back onto your elbow, turning around and beginning to walk away. The man was clearly disappointed as he held out both of his arms in exasperation.

        As you retraced your steps, looking about with a careful eye all the while, you were curling your lip and had a look of pure anger on your face. How dare someone in this small village with no ninja best me in thieving? You lived to do that! There was no way that someone could have just snuck up on you like that. You were better.

        As you walked on back through the market, you became carefully aware of the voice of a yelling man somewhere around the corner of the stands that were carefully pushed together in order to make space and a walkway. Furrowing your brows, you headed over to the voice to listen to what it was saying. As you got nearer and nearer, his words got less distant and more clear.

        "… Damn cat, you can't just keep showing up here expecting me to feed you! I have a shop to run!" As you rounded the corner, you became a witness to to the fisherman that you saw earlier rough-handling a piebald cat, shaking it around by the scruff of its neck. The poor thing was yowling and wriggling around in the man's grip, trying to fight him off.

        Eyes widening, you gaped for a few seconds before springing into action. You ran over to the fisherman and shouted, "Hey! What are you doing to this cat?!"

        Surprised, the man looked over his beefy shoulder at you only to scowl once he saw that it was just a trouble-making teenager that looked to be no older than sixteen. "Get lost, kiddo. This isn't any of your business." He rasped.

        Angrily, you scowled back at him with twice as more venom. "You can't handle animals like that. It's not right!" You loudly told him, not quite yelling yet. The bi-colored cat's minty green eyes opened cautiously to stare over at you, making the white in the corners of its eyes show with the effort due to the angle that it was being held at.

        "Listen here, girl. I don't need some teenager who doesn't know any better tell me how to run my stand! This thief has stolen one too many of my fish, and I've had enough!" He growled, roughly throwing the cat away from his stand. Before the tuxedo cat could harshly land on the sandy flooring of the street, however, you moved quickly to catch it in your arms.

        Upon closer inspection you came to realize that this cat was a girl. Her fur was a bit long, the long fur on her cheeks flaring out and tilting downwards at the edges. The fur thinned out as it lower towards her legs and paws, the fur on her back quite long. Her coat was a little greasy, and you came to notice that when you pulled your left hand away from her coat, it came back with patches of dirt on it. Her snout was white and she had flecks of white marking her face just under her eyes, like freckles. She also had white markings over her eyelids, almost as if she had wings. Pretty, you thought.

        In fact, this cat looked almost exactly like the cat antique that you took from that dusty shop seven or eight years ago.

        "Whatever. I don't give a damn anymore. If you love that cat so much, keep it away from my stand!" The fisherman ordered, turning away from you and grunting as he pulled the butcher knife out of his wooden counter with a creak coming from the surface. Giving one last glare for extra measure, you turned away from the fisherman with a humph.

        Ignoring some of the villagers that that crowded around you, you pushed past them as you held the cat tightly to your chest to keep it from leaping out of your arms and potentially running away. As you left the market, you sighed as you realized that it's been longer than fifteen minutes promised.

        "I'm sorry about that man," you mumbled to the skinny cat, raising your hand to pat down her head. "How about this?" You said after a few seconds of aimlessly walking around. "I'll fashion something and then I'll catch you some fish to eat. …How does that sound?" You said the last part in quiet baby–talk, embarrassed that you were talking like this to a an animal—a cat, no less. But, hey—if it meant feeding the pitiful thing and letting it have a full tummy, perhaps it was worth it.

        As you hunted for the lake that you saw last night, you made a triumphant sound as you caught sight of it not too far away. There was a long dock leading out over the water that would prove useful for fishing, so you hummed in approval. As you walked out onto the dock and to the end, you looked down at the shivering feline in your arms.

        "Okay, cat," you grunted. "If I set you down, here's for the best—I really hope that you don't run away…" You murmured out the last part, slowly crouching down into a squat as you cautiously set the bi-colored cat down onto the wooden planks. Thankfully it didn't dash off right away, opting to stare at you in caution, her pupils round and her cold ears tucked back on her head in fright.

        You stared back at her for a few seconds, slowly raising your hand over her. She flinched away from you. "It's okay! It's alright…" You soothed in a quiet voice, letting your hand inch closer and closer to her back so that you could pet her. Right before your hand landed on her shoulder blades, you let it hover over the upright hairs as you stared at her for a few more seconds, your eyebrows furrowing in concentration and a bit of condensation forming on your temple. Agonizingly slow, you let your hand settle lightly on her shoulder blades.

        Seeing as the cat didn't do anything but stay in the same body language as she was before, you slowly dragged your palm down her back in a comforting manner. "It's okay, cat. I'll feed you, and hopefully Rada will give you some milk to drink instead of this lake water. Who knows what you've been drinking. That is, if you follow me. I'm not carrying you back there."

        For the first time, the cat let a "mrow" rise from her, but it was very quiet, and it was very slight. After a minute or two of trying to calm the cat down, you noticed her pupils begin to thin out and her ears slowly raise off of her head. "That's it, cat," you said. "It's alright."

        The cat meowed at you again, moving to raise on her haunches instead of sitting in a frightened crouch. "Alright. It's time to hunt for some food, don't you think?" you said, raising onto your feet and walking off the dock to try and find something that you could catch fish with.

        You were pleased to find a long stick that was luckily straight enough to try and throw into the water. If you sharpened the end to a point, you could pierce fish with it. Bending over so that you could pick it up, you walked back out to the dock to see the cat sitting there, as still as you've ever seen a cat as it stared up at you, her pupils widening just a little bit at the sight of the stick in your hands.

        "I'm going to sharpen the end to a point, and then I'm gonna try and stab fish with it. I've done it many times before, but I'm still a little rusty at my throwing. I only really know how to roast stuff over a fire, so… if you want that, just, you know. Let me know." You dryly joked as you reached for the pouch on your thigh, pulling out a kunai and adjusting the stick in your hand so that the end was between your thumb and forefinger.

        As you skillfully sharpened the end, you felt the cats eyes never move from the back of your head. It was a little creepy, but you could deal with it. It wasn't as if the cat was some kind of threat; it just looked hungry. You knew what that felt like, and you didn't want to wish it upon this animal.

        So when you finished spiking the stick, you adjusted yourself onto your knees and looked out onto the water for any kind of movement at all. You felt the feline move forward with you, peeking her little head over the dock to look with you. You paid her no heed, your concentration wholly focused on your goal.

        After a solid five minutes of being stuck frozen in a kneeling position, as soon as you spotted the tiniest bit of movement, you leaped up onto the ball and heel of your feet and launched the stick into the water. It landed, and the end that was pointing out of the surface of the lake was aggressively shaking around. Caught one, you smirked.

        Hopping off the dock, you didn't pay attention to the cat's reaction when you stood on top of the water's surface. Your feet made quiet slapping sounds against the water whenever you took a step towards the stick, quickly yanking it out of the water and being pleasantly surprised to see a fish big enough to feed even you. But this was for the cat, so if you decided you wanted a fish yourself, you'd have to hunt your own.

        As you hopped back onto the dock, your heart twisted a little at the cat rising onto her two hind legs to reach the fish better. "Hold on!" You urged, sliding the struggling fish off the end to firmly hold it on the wooden planks. The cat stood and watched as you held it down, setting the stick onto the dock as you grasped the kunai that you left by the cat to cut off the fishes' head. The struggling stopped, and before the cat could step forward—since it looked like she was going to—you gently held her back.

        "Hold on one more second," You commanded. The cat looked a little irritated with you, but you ignored her as you began to skin off the scales, some of the skin peeling from your jerking motions and blood beginning to spot your hands. After about ten or fifteen minutes of scaling both sides of the fish and cutting off the sharp fins, you rinsed the fish off to rid it of the blood before setting it in front of the cat.

        "There you go. Eat up, cat," You grunted, leaning over the dock in a squatting motion to rinse off your knife. After that you scooped up all of the scales and other excess, cupping it all in your hands as you squeezed the parts. Your hands lit up in blue and white, the crackling sound of your chakra nature ridding all of the excess and turning it all into ashes. As for the fishes head, you'd have to bury that somewhere.

        The cat stared up with wide eyes at you, your back turned to the feline. You said nothing as you reached down to grab the decapitated head of the fish so that you could bury it. The cat watched you walk off the dock before turning back to her meal.

        "You better eat all of that up, cat! Otherwise you won't have a full stomach!" You called. "I'm leaving now, so, goodbye!" You turned around and hopped up into the branches, beginning to travel back to Rada's house so that you could gather your bag from her that held your valuables.

 

 

        "Again, I apologize."

        "Don't worry about it; these things happen sometimes! If you were a ninja, losing to a common thief would be pretty embarrassing, am I right?" Rada tried to assure, but it only made you slump your arms and mumble a little. Yeah; right, you thought sourly. As you grabbed the strap to your bag, you wrapped it around your right shoulder and under your left underarm, the bag hanging over your backside. "Well—thank you for providing a place to stay and some breakfast, anyway." You gratefully said, patting yourself down to make sure that nothing else was stolen from your person. Luckily, nothing was.

        Rada nodded at you as she moved over to the door to let you out of her home. "It was no problem, honey," She assured. "Just make sure that you travel safe!" She called after you, waving at your back as you began to head down the trail that lead out of the village. You waved over your shoulder at her, not appreciating the words of hope nor refusing them. You were going to be fine anyways, so it was no problem. A bit of an arrogant thought, but who else could you depend on aside from yourself?

        You hadn't even reached the exit it the village before you heard a loud yowl coming from behind you. Whirling around to stare at the bi-colored cat that you had fed, you stared at her, and she stared at you. "What are you doing, cat? You have to stay here, where your home is." You shook your head before turning back around and heading through the exit.

        "This village isn't my home, nor am I going to let you leave just yet, kuonichi." A feminine voice said, and you spun around on your heels, looking around for the voice.

        "Who's there?"

        "What are you talking about?" You looked down slowly, cautiously; a bead of sweat trickling down your temple as you stared at the cat. No way was that, her.

        "I'm right here. Hellooooo?" The bicolored feline's jaw was moving. This… this was not a normal stray that you had fed, but… a…

        "Now I know what you're thinking, and you probably thing that I'm crazy, but I just wanted to pay you back for your kindness," the silky voice of the cat said, despite her slightly raggedy appearance. "Hold on," she said, bending her legs and moving into a crouch as she began to regurgitate something up from her throat, a large lump moving upward towards the back of her mouth and sliding over her tongue.

        Staring with an agape mouth at the animal, you watched as none other than the missing pouch was spat out onto the sandy flooring, the clanking sound of ryo clacking as it made contact with the ground. Shiny saliva coated the fabric and you simply gaped at it in shock and surprise.

        The cat stepped away from the stolen pouch, looking up at you for any signs of approval.

        "You… you stole that from me?" You breathed.

        The cat looked from you to the pouch and back again. "Um, yes. But it was for a reason! I had my suspicions when I first saw you walk into this village last night, so I wanted to confirm them. Turns out I was right!" She sang the last word, dancing on her paws in victory. "You are a kuonichi!" she happily said, giving a grin.

        "I'm only a girl with the skills of one, cat!" you huffed, walking forward to squat down in front of the cat and take the soggy pouch away from her, clipping it onto your belt again. "Who are you, anyway?!" you demanded.

        "Oh!" The cat suddenly said, as if remembering. "I… am Myū, a ninneko, at your service."

        "A… ninneko?" You said, question lacing in your voice. "I thought that ninja animals hated people." You dryly said, skepticism written all over your face.

        "Maybe so," Myū agreed. "But you helped me, and I didn't really want to complain. Forgive me!" Myū begged. "I can help you! I'm not only a ninneko—I'm a summon! There's more of me, too!" She desperately tried to convince you.

        You raised a brow at the small creature. "There's more of you?"

        Myū nodded as if her life depended on it. "Yes! Five others. We all stick together in a group!"

        "Then why were you alone?"

        "Because each of us have different abilities, human–chan. I'm the thief. I'm really good at it, too!"

        No kidding, you thought.

        "Oh yeah? Who are the others, then?" You questioned Myū. Myū looked happy, since it seemed as if she were persuading you to let her stay. "The leader of my group is a cat named Arekkusu. She's the one in charge of our little squad. She's able to heal wounds!" You raised both of your brows at this information. A healer summon? A cat, no less! Shocking. "The second–in–command is a male cat named Nishiki. He has very strong sensing abilities—"

        You held up your hand. "You're lying, Myū. There's no way that a cat could have sensory abilities."

        Myū was beginning to look frustrated. "That's where you're wrong! Nishiki can sense people! He's pretty agile, human–chan!"

        You didn't look convinced—still. But this cat could prove useful. After all, she slipped right under your nose and stole all of your borrowed ryo. You could use Myū to sneak into villages and steal things for you so that you wouldn't have to do it. After all, it seemed as if she was able to store things in her tummy like a storage unit when you thought back on the pouch of money clipped to your hip.

        Though unsure, you said to Myū, "Okay. Fine. I want to make a contract with you. If I do this, I'll be able to summon the others in a squad or individually, right?"

        Myū looked extremely happy and began to subconsciously dance on her toes. "Yup! Yep, yep, yep!"

        Nodding in approval, you coughed into your hand. "So, what? Will I get cat powers now?" Myū giggled and shook her furry head. "No, human–chan. All I want is your name for now. Well, before doing the contract."

        Raising your hand to scratch Myū behind the years, the corners of your mouth turned upwards. "My name is (Name). I'm... glad, to be doing service for you. When can I meet the others?"

        "You can meet them right after we do the contract, (Name)-chan!" Myū happily purred.


	24. Caution

        “Nice fight, bitch! I'm glad I got to actually hit you this time! Fucking leave!" Hidan shouted after you, grunting his disdain as he watched you depart from Kakuzu and himself.

        Briskly limping down the hallway of the tower, you quickly left your two partners as you high-tailed it down to your quarters. The three of you were gone for about a day, unassigned to a mission and just roaming about. Nothing much had happened for a while during the time that you were out with the two of them, but after a few hours of heading this way and that way Hidan was getting more and more irritated as time progressed. He seemed to have a massive blood lust this afternoon since he took out his anger the most immediate person - yourself.

        You screamed, you yelled, you thrashed and hit the Jashinist. The two of you exchanged heavy, colossal blows to each other. The injuries that you were left with were massive; Hidan had hit your left wrist so hard that a couple bones cracked and you had a large bruise on your jawline as well as several others on your shoulders and back. The back of your neck was also very bruised since Hidan had stolen your weapon and hit you so hard in the back of your neck that you collapsed to the ground and saw stars in your vision. You were surprised that you hadn’t actually been knocked out by the blow. The bruises and the injured wrist weren’t the only things that he left you; he had actually sliced open the front of your right thigh. It wasn’t too deep, but it was definitely enough to soak through your trousers and trail down to your foot and leave a trail of blood as you limped to your chamber door. Hidan didn't leave the fight without injuries, either; he had his head decapitated and both of his arms had been ripped off from your massive strength as well as several other injuries.

        With a sharp turn to face your door, you slipped on your blood and fell down onto your side. A yelp of pain escaped you but you forced your aching body to get back up and enter your room. Flinging it open, it slammed right afterward with an echoing rumble in the hallway. The door was locked, and you limped over to the side of your bed and collapsed onto the floor. Whole body shaking and hurting, you found the task to breathe increasingly difficult. You could hear the blood rushing to your ears and you couldn’t help but treat your leg like a child would a scrape on the knee. Your leg hurt. You found yourself immobilized from the shocking pain and your arm of your bad hand was limply hanging beside you.

        Knock, knock. It was quiet, but you heard it through your throbbing ears, and your heart began to race even faster. You did not answer, but you continued to stare at the door with an expression of pure shock and pain on your face.

        About seven seconds passed.

        “... (Name).” The voice was quiet and deep. “May I please come in?”

        Eyes widening, realization suddenly hit you. The person at your door was… “I can’t… I can’t get up,” You mumbled. You were able to limp back to base and to your chambers once you got back, but that took the rest of your energy away and once you fell to your floor, getting back up again was very difficult.

        A minute passed and your door opened with a clicking noise. It was cautiously opened and Itachi peeked into your quarters, immediately finding your figure across the room by your bed. He held a kunai in his hand that he used to shimmy open the lock, setting it upon a desk after shutting your door. The Uchiha was wearing the standard Akatsuki cloak that all of the other members wore, and his Sharingan was activated and very, very red.

        Itachi made his way over to your form and slowly leaned down by his knees to squat beside you. All of his next movements were very calculated and careful. “May I help you?” He inquired, reaching his hand over to the top of your cloak. You flinched away and he raised his hand in a gesture that showed he meant no mean to harm you. After a few seconds of judging him, you turned your stare away from him in defeat and allowed him to help you out of your cloak.

        “Why are you helping me?” You questioned, clutching your thigh wound with your right hand. Itachi didn’t look at you but instead inspected the damage on your leg. “You are in pain.” He simply answered, taking your hand away from your wound and staring at it for a bit. Saying nothing more, you allowed the Uchiha to do what he wanted to do to help you. Itachi stood up and removed the blanket off of your bed, letting it fall to one side of the bed on the floor. Then, he picked you up from under your arms and helped you onto the mattress, laying you down on your back.

        “Ouch,” You hissed at the feeling of your tender back meeting the mattress but Itachi ignored your small complaint and grabbed a portion of your trousers above the wound and held the tip of his kunai against the fabric. His dark red orbs silently moved over to you for confirmation. Nodding your head, you watched as Itachi looked back at the task at hand and sliced open the fabric more so that he could have more access to the wound.

        “Your wound is several hours old and you are at a large risk of infection since it was not treated earlier and Hidan’s scythe is not the cleanest thing in the world.” Itachi informed, heading over to your bath quarters and thoroughly washing his hands. He grabbed a large rag and appeared back next to you, bunching up the cloth in his hand and pressing it against your wound to stop the bleeding. The stinging feeling of the cloth meeting your cut caused you to suck in a sharp breath through your teeth and you squeezed your eyes shut and clenched your teeth together, bracing the pain and trying to keep focusing on your breathing. It was irregular; fast, then slow, then quick paints again.

        Sweat was accumulating on your forehead and the more blood that was lost only helped in making you grow increasingly dizzy. The temperature of the room rose, and this only helped in making you sweat more. You didn’t bother to open your eyes again since it seemed to be an effort that you really didn’t feel like dealing with. After several minutes Itachi lifted the blood-soaked cloth and the weight of his form lifted off the bed and you listened as his footsteps led him into your washroom again. The faucet began to run and Itachi started to clean off the rag with cold water to try and wash out the scarlet stains. After a few moments you were picked up and gently thrown over his shoulder, then carefully set into your bathtub on your back. The even harder surface of the bottom of the tub hurt much more on the broken skin of your back than your mattress.

        Itachi worked on pulling off your shoes and after he set them down by the tub, then rolled up your loose pant leg just enough up on your thigh so that he could properly reach the deep cut. A new rag was in Itachi’s hand and the young man, before doing anything else, pulled off his robe and hung it on the top corner of the washroom door so that it wasn’t on the tile floor.

        The Uchiha slowly turned on the faucet of the tub so that the water wasn’t running too fast, but just barely enough so that he could wetten the rag and apply soap to the cloth. Cracking your eyes open just a little you watched as he began to carefully scrub at your wound and wash off all of the dried up, crusty blood not just on your cut, but on the rest of your leg as well so that it wasn’t unhygienic to you. When the soap and water first came in contact with the open flesh you cried out in pain at the sudden feeling of intense, sharp stinging.

        “It’s fine.” Itachi coaxed, “I’m just cleaning it."

        “Mm,” You shivered in pain and placed your wounded wrist on your stomach. Itachi cupped fresh water from under the faucet in his hands and dropped it over your wound a couple times, washing out the soap from the cut. It looked nasty; the open flesh was dark red with blood and the skin that was torn open looked like rubber that had been sliced with a sharp knife. It was quite a disgusting sight. Taking a dry towel, he dried your leg and lifted you up over his shoulder again, taking you back to your bed and setting you on it once again.

        The wound was later treated with a cream that Itachi rubbed into it and your thigh was carefully wrapped with gauze, but after Itachi finished his work, you had passed out on your bed and the Uchiha was left to put your blanket back over your form. The young man left soon after that with his cloak back on his form, shutting the door behind himself but not locking it since he would have to come back later to re-apply the medicine onto your wound and change your bandages.

 

 

        Pein was angry at what transpired between Hidan and yourself, but the leader just took the situation as Hidan being reckless with his decisions and you just not having enough gut. The leader thought that he needed to knock some more sense into you if you were to be partners with the immortal.

        However, the next morning, Itachi came back into your quarters to check your state of being. When he pulled the covers aside just a bit to expose your injured leg and undid your bandaging, the result looked a bit… revolting. The skin around the wound was yellow and pus had formed inside the cut. As well as that, the infected wound had a bit of a smell similar to rotting flesh. Itachi looked up at your face and that didn’t look good either. You were pale and sweating profusely, your eyebrows were scrunched together and your eyes were closed in a wince. Your breaths were also very heavy and irregular… not good.

        Itachi cleaned your wound and applied more cream to it, then wrapped it up again with some fresh gauze. The Uchiha knew that you had to eat something, and if not eat, then you definitely needed to have a drink of water. So the young man left your chambers to get a cup of cold water from the kitchen. Kisame was there and so was Deidara; they were both talking to each other about the taller member’s sword, Samehada. Itachi wordlessly held a cup under the faucet and stole the cold water, watching as it filled the glass halfway before Deidara spoke to the young man. “Hey, Itachi, un. Where is (Name), yeah?”

        “Yeah, where is she, Itachi?” Kisame joined in on the inquiry. He turned his head to look at his partner. “I haven’t seen her in about two days. She went out with Kakuzu and Hidan yesterday and disappeared the day before that so I haven’t gotten a chance to show her some of my cool card tricks that I mentioned to her.”

        Deidara snorted. “Card tricks, yeah?” At that remark, Kisame sniffed and scratched the back of his head. He was obviously a bit embarrassed, but he had actually told you that you guys could play cards sometime and he did actually know some cool tricks when it came to card shuffling. He wanted to show you since no one else would have been interested. Well, maybe Tobi, but Tobi sucked and he hadn’t seen that masked bastard in several days since he left somewhere with Zetsu.

        “She’s sick.” Itachi simply answered, grabbing a napkin and carefully wrapping the side of the glass up with it. He had his back to the two other members while he opened up the fridge to grab something for you to possibly eat. Maybe some soup would do. Deidara grunted in surprise and Kisame raised his eyebrows while he crossed his arms in curiosity. “How did that feisty little girl get sick?” Kisame wondered, genuine surprise in his voice.

        “Hidan wounded her.” Itachi responded, finding some leftover soup from the other night that was still wrapped up and fresh. The Uchiha pulled it out of the fridge and started to heat it up for your sick form in your chambers. “Kisame, did you hear that? Hidan actually wounded her this time, yeah! I mean I know he’s drawn blood from (Name) before, un, but legitimate wounding. He did it, yeah!” Deidara exclaimed, throwing his hands up in surprise at the shark man in front of him.

        Kisame nodded in agreement. “It’s not really easy for Hidan to really hurt (Name). Speaking of which, where is Hidan anyway?” He wondered, scratching his chin with a finger. Deidara grunted, “Out with Kakuzu.”

        “Again?”

        “Yeah.”

        Kisame blinked. “Hm. They’re always out of base doing things. I hate having to constantly leave.” It is true; Kisame didn’t particularly enjoy leaving the base often. It was bothersome to the swordsman and it was bothersome for yourself, as well. You hated having to constantly leave and be stranded with Kakuzu and Hidan. Those two were a bother to you, and you’d rather do nothing but be in your room doing who-knows-what you usually do in your chambers. Kisame figured that out a while ago since, usually, as soon as you'd get back from somewhere with the two large men, you’d leave to go back to your room and wouldn’t reappear for a while after that.

        Deidara scoffed at Kisame’s remark, also crossing his arms. “Who cares about Kakuzu and Hidan, un. I’m glad that Tobi’s been gone for so long, yeah. Yeah, that bastard is so annoying!” The artist had sincerity all over his tone; he truly hated Tobi. He was soaking up all the time that he had without that… thing. Kisame grinned at Deidara’s disdain for the masked man. “Be truthful, Deidara. If Tobi showed up right now, you’d just ship him off to that poor girl.”

        “Hm? (Name), un? Of course, yeah.” Deidara accepted, leaning against the countertop. “She handles Tobi better than I do. I never handle Tobi, un. He’s horrible.” Several times in the past, whenever Tobi would begin to bother Deidara, the blond would send Tobi off to bother you instead so that Deidara wouldn’t have to deal with it. His idea to do this to Tobi often worked; he would disappear for a while and it would give Deidara time to enjoy himself without Tobi. Although he never really knew what Tobi would do to you as far as talk a lot, Deidara never really cared enough to wonder. He wasn’t sorry for pushing Tobi over to you so many times, either. He’d just continue to do it, in all honesty.

        Kisame shifted around a bit. “Deidara, you seem to care more about the fact that Tobi’s a bastard rather than the fact that your partner was eliminated a few days ago.” Sasori was killed, indeed. And with Sasori’s death, Gaara of the Sand’s One Tail was extracted successfully. However, Gaara was brought back to life by Sasori’s grandmother, so that boy would live to tell the day, unfortunately. Deidara wasn’t affected much by it; or at least he seemed not to be. Deidara didn’t really talk about Sasori since the mission happened.

        Itachi held the cup of water and the broth in both of his hands and wordlessly left the kitchen to get back to your room. Kisame and Deidara didn’t show any sign of noticing, so that was all the more better for the young man. When Itachi sat back down on your bed after shutting your door with the back of his foot you had clearly stirred around in bed but not by much; your hair was all over the pillowcase and your hands were by both sides of your head. Your good leg was somewhere underneath your blanket but he couldn’t tell where since it was bunched up from your hips and below that, save for your bad leg which was purposely uncovered and still in the same place that he had left it when he redressed your wound.

        Positioning his hand on the back of your neck, he angled your jaw up so that he could lift the cup of water up to your lips. Itachi got a little bit of water in your mouth before you started groaning, your hands clenching up the sheets between your fingers. He pulled the cup from your mouth just before you suddenly turned your head away with a pained expression. Next was the broth; he’d have to figure out a way to keep feeding you even though it seemed as if you didn’t want anything through your feverish state.

        Grabbing your jaw, he pulled your head back forward and put the rim of the bowl up to your lips before carefully pouring some broth into your open mouth. You began to physically protest by closing your mouth and cracking open your hazy eyes to glare at an empty space past Itachi’s head. Setting the bowl of broth on the nightstand by your bed, he took a hand and waved it in front of your face. You didn’t seem to respond much to it. Itachi pursed his lips; it seemed as if you had a fever, and it would take a couple of days to make it go away.

 

 

        “Oh, Deidara-kun!”

        No.

        No.

        No!

        Deidara’s eyes widened to the size of saucers and he looked over his shoulder in terror. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t.

        “DEEEEEIIIIIDAAARAAAAA-KUUUUUN!” The impending sound of Tobi’s footsteps began resounding through Deidara’s ears like the upcoming sound of death. Deidara would not deal with Tobi today. He didn’t deal with Tobi for three weeks and he certainly would not today. Today was the day that Deidara would be beginning a little art project for himself in his room and he didn’t want some idiot running into his clay sculpture and ruining it like a few times before. Quickly, the artist rushed over to his door and turned the latch, effectively locking it and blocking Tobi from entering his abode.

        Almost as soon as Deidara had locked his door, guess who crashed into it with a loud bang. A muffled whine came from a little below the door; Tobi must have fallen onto the ground after crashing. Deidara huffed under his breath. Tobi must not have been expecting that. Deidara turned away from his door and sat back down on his stool in front of a table in the middle of his room where he was working on his sculpting project. Rubbing his hands together, the artist began to press his thumbs and fingers into the clay to mold it into a figure.

        “Deidara-kuuun…” Tobi whined, sadness laced all over his voice. “Let Tobi in!”

        Deidara didn’t bother to listen to Tobi. He just kept expertly sculpting the brown clay, focusing all of his attention on it. Well, trying to.

        “DEIDARA-KUN!”

        “Go bother (Name), you idiot! I’m working on something, yeah!” Deidara shouted, pausing in his sculpting to glare over his shoulder at the door. He heard Tobi gasp excitedly and the sound of his running feet carried him away down the hallway. Finally, Deidara thought. But then Deidara paused. Wait… Itachi said (Name) was sick yesterday… oops. But then the artist thought about it some more and even though he didn’t know all the details about your sickness or what was going on in your bedroom, he shrugged and hoped that Tobi would catch whatever you had so that he’d disappear for a few more days as well.

        As for Tobi, the rambunctious man-boy ran down the hallway to get to your bedroom door. He found it unlocked, so he skipped into your chambers and found you laying in your bed under your blankets. Your room was considerably cleaner since the last time Tobi had been in it a couple weeks ago, but something seemed off. Tobi stopped skipping after he entered your room and stood in the middle of your chambers, his arms hanging by his sides and his head cocked. The only part of you that was poking out from under the blankets was one of your hands, your hair, and one of your feet. The only source of light in your room was from your washroom since the light was left on and its door was left ajar. A medicinal remedy was on your nightstand along with a couple of clean rags and three rolls of gauze dressing. And along with that, something just felt… weird.

        Something definitely wasn’t right. “(Name)-chan?” Tobi called, curiosity in his voice. “(Name)-chaaaan,” He called again, walking over to the side of your bed and leaning over you. “(Name)-chaaaan, Tobi wants you to get up!” He positively said, his gloved hand reaching for the edge of your blanket. He pulled it down to expose your face and neck, seeing that the arm that he couldn’t see under the blankets was covering the upper portion of your face and your eyes. However, he could see that your lips were parted and your breaths were very shallow. And on top of that, your wrist was obviously broken or sprained since there was wrapping on it.

        “(Name)-chan?” Tobi called once more. There wasn’t much confidence in his voice anymore. “Is (Name)-chan okay?” You of course did not answer, but you rolled over onto your stomach in your hazy fever-induced sleep to expose your good leg and in the process of doing so, your shirt twisted and exposed some of the skin on the lower half of your back.

        Obito immediately saw the purple and blue bruised skin, and slowly pulled up your shirt to expose inch by inch of the broken skin on your back. Anger began to seep through his form as the bruising took up the entire canvas of your back, even up past your shoulder blades. Before anyone could walk down the hall to see what was going on in your bedroom, Obito left you to get up and shut your door. The man sat back down on your bed and inspected your leg to look for damage, but there was none. Then, he pulled the blanket away from your other leg to find that there was gauze dressing on your thigh. Carefully, Obito rolled you over onto your back again to undo your bandages to inspect the damage. What he found was an infected wound, and not just any wound. It looked like slashing mark, and by the shape of it, he knew exactly who had dealt the damage.

        Obito was infuriated. He promised to cause Hidan as much pain as he could. After he helped capture a Jinchuuriki, Hidan was useless. Obito would cause eternal pain to that man.

        Whimpers began to build in your throat from a dream that you were having, and Obito watched your pale, sweaty face as you seemed to be in pain from your wounds. Your whimpers got even louder, and after a few moments of you doing this, your arm moved off of your face and you shot over to the edge of the bed to retch up the food that Itachi had given you in your fever-induced state. After that, you continued to dry-retch, having nothing else left in your system to throw up. Obito jumped from the bed, shock written all over his expression beneath the mask. However, quickly after he did so, he moved over to you, careful not to let your retching reach his feet or clothes and pulled your hair out of the way.

        This didn’t seem to be good. When would you get better from the fever?

 

 

        "NOOO! (NAME)-CHAAAAAAN!" Tobi screamed, crying like a baby from your bedroom. Itachi walked in to see what was happening, and when he saw that it was just Tobi sobbing over you, Itachi blinked. He also saw that you were hanging over the bed with your thrown up meal from yesterday on the floor. That was quite a disgusting sight. "Tobi," Itachi quietly said. "I need to clean her bandaging and the mess."

        "But Tobi is supposed to be Dr. Tobi! And Tobi let this happen to poor (Name)-chan!" Tobi cried, holding on to you even tighter on your bed. Itachi sighed and headed over to your washroom to get ready to clean up the mess that you had made. "Who hurt (Name)-chan?!" Tobi hiccuped, whining a bit afterwards. Itachi, from your washroom, grabbed a mop from the tall cabinet and a bucket of water. "Hidan did," Itachi answered, heading over to the side of your bed again and he began to clean up the mess.

        "Tobi will avenge (Name)-chan! Tobi will!" He promised, patting your arm before running out of your room and down the hallway. Itachi simply watched Tobi leave with his Sharingan, not doing anything to get in Tobi's way. Because if Tobi was in his way, he wouldn't be able to help you.

 

 

        Some hours later, the sound of Hidan shouting in fury echoed through the hallway and Hidan yelled, "I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!" The furious Hidan had come back to find his room in complete disarray; there were slash-marks in the walls and almost all of his belongings were damaged and ruined. It was as if someone had came in while he was gone and started to throw things with such force that they left super-definitions in the wall with near-holes in them. And Hidan had an idea of just who did it, since there was only one person that would.

        "DEEEEEIIIIDAAAARAAAA!"

        "WHAT?!"

        "I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOUR PICASSO-WANNABE ASS!"

        Hidan stormed down the hallway and threw open Deidara's door, then Deidara's shouting filled the immediate hallways.


	25. Strangeness

        A few days had passed since your fever had initially started and it seemed as if today, things were turning up. Tobi hadn't been allowed to see you because every day since he found out you had an infection in your wound, he was coming in while Itachi was tending to it and getting in the way. So as a result, Itachi would lock the door while he was in your room and even when he wasn't in there to keep Tobi from further messing with you while you slept. Because, the entire time you were sick, you were doing nothing but sleeping and Itachi would have to feed you himself. Your fever had kept you from having an appetite, even when you were awake - for those few minutes that you were. The first three days, you did nothing but retch up your food. After that, your body was getting better and it was able to stomach any food that Itachi would give to you, so that was good at least.

        About two days ago you woke back up from your hibernation and were moving around in your room, but it was proven to be a task. You were still limping, but it would hopefully get better. You thanked Itachi for taking care of you like he did. “Why did you decide to help me, anyway?” You questioned the Uchiha, who was standing across the room from where you were on the chair near the wall. Itachi gave a vague answer close to, “No one else would have done it.” He quietly sighed, setting a dirty rag into your clothes bin. “Feel better. Your bandages don’t need changing by me anymore.” And like that, he exited your room and that was the last that you had seen of him since then.

        Today, you cleaned yourself up after waking up and took a much needed shower to wash all of the grime off of you. You brushed your teeth and your hair and dressed yourself in your regular attire that you wore beneath your cloak every day. Cleaning your room took its time since your limp made you walk a little slower. Your bed was the last thing that you needed to care to, so you made it albeit sloppily since bending down to tuck in the sheets would have made your wound reopen, so you found… a different way to do it. On top of that, your wrist was messed up, so that was only more fuel to the challenge.

        After a few minutes of standing around in the middle of your room, you turned to your door and unlocked it, heading out into the hallway and down to the kitchen because man, you were starving. When you made it into the kitchen you saw that Kisame was downing a glass of water on the couch with his back to you, but he must have noticed that another person was in the kitchen since he seemed to shift a little - that much you saw before you rounded the corner and out of sight from the shark-man to reach up into the cabinets and pull out a cup of ramen.

        Since you were so hungry and a bit weak, when you turned on the hot water your hands were a bit shaky under the faucet, making some of the water splash onto your fingers and the back of your hand. You hissed, but continued to fill up the cup until it reached the water line and you set it down on the counter. Heavy footfalls neared the kitchen until you saw Kisame out of the corner of your eye and the man immediately gasped in surprise.

        “(Name)!” He exclaimed, walking over to you and ruffling your hair. “You’re back! How was it staying cooped up in that room for a week?” He left his large hand on your head and it covered the entire top of your crown. He seemed pretty happy, you guessed. You glanced up at him before turning to look back at your ramen, waiting for it to finish heating in the cup. “Horrible. I couldn’t stretch my body out at all.” You sighed, grumbling a bit.

        “Oh, don’t worry about that. How did everything happen, anyway?” Kisame wondered, tapping his index finger on top of your head since he was still laying his hand there and standing behind you. More grumbles rumbled in your throat and you finally answered. “Eh, I was out with Kakuzu and Hidan as per usual and Hidan decided to use his scythe on me. His scythe is absolutely disgusting though, so it got my thigh infected and on top of that it took a few hours to get back to base, so the cut was just festering.” Kisame listened carefully to your rant about your infection and hummed. “I see. Well, now that your ramen is done,” He pointed over your shoulder with his free hand at the cup that you were holding. “Want to see some card tricks in the common area?”

        You snorted, although Kisame didn’t take it like how he did with Deidara, for your snort was just a snort of surprise and not mockery like the artist’s. “Card tricks?” You questioned, curious but not seeming to remember Kisame telling you about them a while ago before you left with Kakuzu and Hidan. “Yeah,” Kisame confirmed. “You don’t remember? You seemed like you wanted to see them before. We had a full conversation about it.” Kisame pulled his hand off of your head and lead you into the common area. “No, I’m pretty forgetful. Sorry. But sure, I’ll see your card tricks.”

        “Great! Alright, sit right there or right there, whichever seat you prefer.” Kisame pointed on either side of the table in the center of the common area and sat on the end with his legs crossed. You carefully seated yourself on one end and folded your arms on the table, watching as the tall man pulled some cards from out of his sleeve. Ha, classic, you thought, your eyebrows raising slightly.

        “(NAAAAAAAMMME)-CHAAAAN!”

        Just as Kisame began to shuffle his cards, Tobi screaming your name interrupted his performance. Tobi must have seen that I left my door cracked open and that I wasn’t in there. He’s been trying to get into my room since Itachi locked him out, you thought. Kisame paused in his card shuffling to sigh heavily and his shoulders sank in defeat. “I guess I’m not showing you my card tricks.” Kisame frowned, his lips parted to expose his sharp teeth.

        You shook your head. “No, show me,” You told him, watching him hesitate before continuing his show but also anticipating Tobi’s entrance. The sound of running feet going back and forth through the hallway told you that Tobi was searching for you in every room that he saw, until his running feet brought him into the doorway of the common area. Tobi loudly gasped and cupped his hands over the sides of his mask. “(N-Name)-chan…” He cooed, stars hanging over his head.

        Waving at him with your good hand, a smile was tugging at the corners of your lips as Tobi ran over to you and slid down onto the side of his leg to sit next to you while Kisame ignored Tobi and continued to show you magic tricks with a couple of cards.

        “Pick one,” Kisame said. You pulled out a card from Kisame’s stack. “Don’t show me what the card is,” Kisame advised as Tobi was peeking over your shoulder, both hands over his mouth as he giggled and stared down at your card that you were holding in front of your face. “Ok, do you know which card you have?” Kisame questioned.

        Hearts. “Yes.” You confirmed, and handed the card back to Kisame without letting him look when the shark-man asked for it. Tobi continued to giggle beside you, his laughter soon dying down as Kisame started to shuffle the cards again. While Kisame was shuffling them, you glanced down at the space between Tobi and yourself. It was barely a centimeter. Tobi shuffled in his spot to adjust his legs and he got up to sit on his calves. When Tobi adjusted, the space became nonexistent and his thigh was brushing up against yours. His body heat was pressing up against your cold leg through your pants, and the feel of him up against you made you feel something weird in your chest.

        “Is… THIS your card?” Kisame procured your card, the red hearts flashing in front of your eyes. You were pretty impressed, and you clapped at Kisame’s good work. Tobi gasped and ooohed at Kisame’s magic trick. “Yeah, it was! Where did you learn the card tricks?” You questioned him, curiosity in your voice. Kisame cleaned up his cards, fixing them and putting them in a tidy stack before carefully putting them in a small container that he stuffed into his cloak. “A magician never reveals his secrets.” Kisame lamely answered, to which you were disappointed at the response that you got. “Lame,” You huffed. “Well, good show. I didn’t even eat any of my ramen yet.”

        “(NAME)-CHAN!” Tobi loudly called your name and slapped your cup ramen out of your hand. It landed on the floor with a wet, splattering sound and the noodles landed all over the floor. “Tobi! Why did you do that?!” You barked, holding your head in your hands as you stared down at the mess before you. What were you gonna eat now? You internally whined, pouting your lip and blowing out a melancholy sigh. Kisame gave a yikes before exiting the room, picking up his empty glass of water and leaving it in the kitchen, later exiting the kitchen and common room altogether for someplace else.

        “(Name)-chan won’t eat that cup ramen! Tobi wants to go somewhere with (Name)-chan!” Tobi declared, holding out his arms and dancing on his feet. He was looking at you expectantly, waiting for your response. Still pouting, you shook your head. “But I’m hungry,” You denied. “And if I walk for too long, my wound’s gonna hurt and it might even open up.”

        “Tobi will carry (Name)-chan.” Tobi refused to accept your answer, and bent down to swoop you up in his arms. “Uh, Tobi?!” You gasped, “This is a bit inappropriate!” Your protest landed on deaf ears as Tobi began to run over to the open window. “TOBI!” You shouted. Right before Tobi climbed up onto the windowsill, Deidara walked into the common area. “Un, what’s going on in here?!” Your wide eyes met with Deidara’s and right after that happened, he dropped his cup of juice with a gaping mouth as Tobi leaped out of the window of the common area, the two of you disappearing from Deidara’s vision.

        Tobi was screaming, his legs flailing as the two of you dropped out of the sky from over a hundred floors of the base. His arms lost your form as he began to sink lower than you as the two of you fell, and if you didn’t act now then you both would fall to your deaths all because of Tobi’s spontaneous decision to leap out of a window with another person. “Tobi, let go of me!” You screamed over the roaring wind. Your eyes were squeezed shut and Tobi’s cloak kept whipping against your body. “(NAME)-CHAAAN!” Tobi screamed to the heavens, refusing to let go. You growled in frustration and forcibly pushed yourself from Tobi’s clutches, maneuvering your way behind him as the two of you fell to wrap your arms under Tobi’s and around his chest. Immediately, the two of you went from a wind-roaring, near-death experience to a calm descent to the ground below, which was still long ways down. Tobi’s legs hung like a cat who was picked up under the arms.

        You gained your breath back after a few seconds. “Tobi, why did you do that?!” You shouted into the back of his head. Tobi flinched in your hold at your loud tone of voice. “Tobi thought (Name)-chan would enjoy Tobi’s flying skills…” Tobi pouted. Your eyebrows raised in confusion, but the adrenaline was still rushing through you and you snorted. Then the snort turned into giggling, and then into laughter. “Tobi, you can’t fly.” You giggled. “Only I can do that!”

        Tobi giggled and performed the T-cross position with his arms, his head flying back a bit to the point of his dark hair brushing up against your nose and lips. You sucked in a breath and turned your head away from Tobi’s hair. Tobi’s soft hair. Your eyes widened at what you were thinking. “What the hell, (Name)?” You mumbled. Tobi didn’t seem to hear you since his laughter only continued. Shaking your head to rid yourself of the thoughts, you descended down to the edge of a nearby rooftop and used that as a booster to get yourself into the air again, and you did this a couple more times until the two of you were out of Amegakure and into the countryside.

        Setting Tobi down onto his feet on the muddy trail, you descended down next to him and quietly grunted when your bad leg met with the ground after your good foot. Damn Hidan for doing this to you. He crippled you with a limp for who knows how long. This was all his fault. Disdain for the Jashinist clouded your mind before you focused on Tobi asking you, “Tobi wants to talk to (Name)-chan!” He exclaimed, a skip in his step as he walked next to you.

        “Huh? Talk to me?” You questioned him. “In terms of what?” This was a bit odd, but you, for some reason, decided not to care about the questions. Well, your point of not caring had its limits, at least. “(Name)-chan’s favorite color, (Name)-chan’s favorite food, (Name)-chan’s favorite animal…” Tobi trailed off with examples, but you cut him off with a response to three of those things. “My favorite color is (color). My favorite food is (food). My favorite animal is (animal).”

        “(Name)-chan is so cool! Tobi thinks that (Name)-chan is very unique,” Tobi confidently said, still skipping. You raised your eyebrows. “Unique?” You wondered. “I don’t think that’s really the right word. I’m not really unique.” You downplayed it. “In fact, I’m pretty generic, if you think about it.” The way that you said that so nonchalantly made Tobi physically frown. “(Name)-chan makes Tobi sad with how (Name)-chan thinks of herself…”

        You shrugged. Tobi whined, “Why is (Name)-chan so normal when saying that? Tobi is confused!” Again, you shrugged. “I just don’t see what the big deal is. Anyway,” You changed the subject. “I’m going to ask you something that’s been bothering me for a while. What’s under your mask? Do you just have a thing for them, or…” Tobi’s hands flew to his mask to keep it sealed where it was in case you tried to pull it off like Deidara had tried to a couple times before. “Tobi just likes how his mask looks!” Tobi answered, a bit of fear in his voice from thinking that you were going to try and tear it off of him.

        “A person only wears a mask if they have something to hide.” You skipped over Tobi’s answer, finding it a bit of a crappy one to provide you with.

        “Tobi only likes the color and the swirlie things on it!” Tobi insisted, whining a bit. A small grumble left you, but you decided not to push further on the subject. “What village are you from?”

        “What village is (Name)-chan from?” Tobi skipped over your question like you had skipped over his initial response to the whole mask thing. Your eyebrows raised in surprise at Tobi’s move. Skipping over something like that didn’t seem like much of a Tobi thing to do. However, you thought about his question. Answer Konoha, or nowhere…? “I’m not sure where I’m from, but I suspect that I’m probably from Kumogakure or the Land of Lightning, at the very least. That would explain my affinity for it, I guess.”

        “Why is (Name)-chan not sure?” Tobi wondered.

        You shrugged. “Eh, I don’t know. I lived in a home with a young couple for a while outside of Amegakure when I was a very young girl but they died. The woman got sick and it was uncurable and the husband later died in his sleep from grief over his wife, and I was left alone. I never really knew how they came to find me or why they took me in but they did tell me that they weren’t my real parents and they didn’t know who or where they were. For a while before they died they suspected that I was probably from Amegakure since they found me near the city, but they were never really certain so I guess it’s a mystery.” Your monologue ended with you kicking a small pebble under your sandal. It flew out in front of you and skipped along the stony path, landing on the long spread of dirt that now covered the path. Tobi and yourself were finally out of Amegakure.

        “Tobi wants to know what happened to (Name)-chan then!” He excitedly said, acting as if you were telling him a story from a storybook. You pursed your lips.

        “I was left alone to myself for a long time. That’s all.” You vaguely continued.

        “Aww… is that all from (Name)-chan’s story? Tobi knows that there’s gotta be more!”

        Wincing, you shook your head. “I don’t really want to talk about it. There’s bad memories.”

        “Tobi won’t tell anyone else…” Tobi tried to coax you. Sighing, you swung your hands by your sides and huffed. “I was brought to Konohagakure years after my caretakers died. I was still a very young girl at the time, so I was very naive. They were teaching me about their history and educating me to become one of their own ninja before I left the village to be by myself again.” Your response was curt, but you were beginning to sound a bit irritated from Tobi’s pushing.

        “Why did (Name)-chan leave Konoha?”

        “Because I decided that I was better off alone.” You growled. Tobi jumped at how you responded, his fingers curling by his mask. After a few seconds, Tobi said he was sorry and asked if you still thought that he was a good boy. You said yeah, sure after some seconds and Tobi was happy after that, but you didn’t say anything else for a while even though the masked boy continued to talk.

        After a while, Tobi stopped talking and the sound of his footfalls became nonexistent but that went by unnoticed to you. You continued to walk nonchalantly, carrying yourself down the path that led to the nearest village so that you could just get something to eat since you were still so hungry. As you walked down the trail, tall trees with long, leafy branches hung over the path and patches of sunlight seeped through the leaves and landed on the bright path beneath your feet.

        “HIME-CHAN!”

        You yelped and fell back on your butt on the hard ground. Tobi had appeared on a branch hanging above you and he was hanging upside-down from it like some sort of primate. You caught your breath quickly, pointedly staring at Tobi’s form with an annoyed look in your eyes. “Why did you do that? Again?! And don’t call me that!” You whined at Tobi, annoyance in your tone.

        “Okay, Misaki-chan. Tobi won’t call Misaki-chan Hime-chan anymore because Tobi is a good boy!” Tobi then fell from the overhanging branch, landing on his head with a childish yelp and a high-pitched groan. “Don’t call me Misaki-chan either! It’s just (Name)-chan. Wait, no - I mean (Name)! It’s just (Name)!”

        Tobi giggled at your frustration after he rubbed the pain off the top of his head and helped you up off the ground. “Is (Name)-chan’s leg tired? Tobi will carry (Name)-chan because Tobi is a good boy!”

        His gloved hand was on your back, steadying you before you caught your balance. Your leg was tired. The pain of walking was dawning on you and you were reluctant to admit that it was hurting, so you didn’t. Shaking your head no, you continued to walk with Tobi.

        “Tobi is sorry for hurting (Name)-chan’s feelings,” Tobi sadly apologized. He sounded like he did something very bad and you cocked a brow at him. “What’s done is done,” You said. “But it’s fine, nothing to think too hard about.”

        “Tobi also knows that (Name)-chan is lying!”

        You were suddenly swooped up in Tobi’s arms, a gasp escaping you as Tobi continued to trot down the path with you in a bridal-carry. A swelling feeling was felt in your chest and your face felt warm, but it went unbeknownst to you that your cheeks became red. “Tobi is a good boy.” Tobi giggled, bouncing you in his arms once as he giggled. “That’s why Tobi is helping (Name)-chan.”

        You said nothing, only staring at your knees with wide eyes as you couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. You, a twenty-seven year old, was being bridal-carried by someone that acted like he was twelve. Fists clenching on your cloak, you glanced up at Tobi but you quickly looked back down again. Oh, boy.

 

 

        Finally, the two of you were making your way into a shop that served food and your stomach was growling with intense ferver. Tobi set you down and guided you over to a booth in the farthest corner of the shop, letting you sit down on one side. He left and came back after a few minutes with a bowl of some udon soup and chopsticks for you, sitting it on the counter in front of you and sliding in the seat across from yourself. He then pulled out a folded up piece of paper and a blue colored pencil, unfolding the sheet and laying it flat on the table.

        On the paper was a drawing that he must have been working on, even though it resembled chicken scratch. You immediately began eating your soup, admiring the flavor of it. You’ve never had udon soup before and it was very good - you’d have to thank Tobi later for picking this kind. You watched Tobi as he hummed while he drew on the crinkled paper, pausing every once in a while to check his work. After a while of working on it and seemingly doing “touch-ups”, Tobi turned the paper around so that it wasn’t upside down to you and held it up for you to look at it.

        “This is Tobi, and this is Zetsu-san! On the other side of Tobi is (Name)-chan and right here is Deidara-senpai, on his giant clay bird!” Tobi pointed with his finger at Deidara, flying in the sky on his clay bird with an explosion behind him while the doodles of Tobi, Zetsu and yourself were very childlike and the line art was very shaky. “What’s the whole story of that?” You pointed at the paper with your chopsticks and continued to eat.

        “Tobi’s drawing is of Tobi and his friends!” He happily said, giving the paper to you. A small smile tugged at your lips and you took the paper, flipping it over on the blank side and setting it back down on the counter. Taking Tobi’s colored pencil, you put on your focused face and Tobi, noticing this, gasped and leaned in to watch you draw with an oooh.

        You drew two upside-down V-shapes with a line connecting the two of them. Then you carefully drew two parenthesis-like shapes and a body with four legs and a tail. After you did that, you drew on a bandana on the neck and a few hearts over the head. And finally, you drew the face of the animal - a cat.

        “A cat, (Name)-chan?” Tobi curiously wondered. “What does that kanji on the bandana thingy say?”

        “Thief.” You answered, adding three whiskers to each side of the face. “Is the kitty a character of (Name)-chan’s?” Tobi excitedly said, wanting to know more about your drawing. “No, she’s my summon. Her name is Myū.”

        “Ooooh!” Tobi awed. “Can Tobi see Myū?” He was leaning over the countertop, excited to see your cat summon. “I actually haven’t summoned her in a some months. I do wonder what she’s up to.” You put a finger to your chin, considering on summoning her again. Sure, I’ll do it.

        Quickly finishing up your soup, you left the shop with Tobi and walked over to an empty lot in an alleyway while Tobi was dancing on his toes and excitedly giggling to see your summon. Biting the thumb of your left hand with your canine tooth, you made the traditional hand seal and slapped the ground. A giant poof of smoke swelled around your hand and it blew away to reveal none other than Myū, her head held high and her salmon-colored bandana neatly tied around her neck with the kanji “thief” written on it.

        Her minty green eyes popped open to see you standing over her, dawning the signature cloak of the Akatsuki. “(Name)-sama!” The bicolored cat gasped in surprise, “You’re a member of the Akatsuki? Is that why you haven’t summoned me in several years?!” She whined, her face pouting.

        “It hasn’t been years, you silly thing,” You huffed, picking her up and setting her on your shoulder. “To me it has been, I’m a cat!” She also huffed, pointedly looking at you from the corner of her eyes from her place on your shoulder. Then her ear angled itself to hear the sound of Tobi’s sandal scraping on the ground. Tobi, making very excited squeals, slowly lifted his gloved hand up, readying to pet Myū.

        All of a sudden, your summon jerked away from Tobi’s hand and her pupils constricted, having smelt his hand made her react negatively on your shoulder. Myū hissed at Tobi and Tobi jerked back as well, surprise written all over his form. “Did Tobi do something wrong?” Tobi wondered, confusion in his boyish tone. You shook your head, very surprised at your cat’s reaction to smelling Tobi. You’ve never seen her react so badly before. This was strange indeed. “No, she’s just being mean right now,” You consoled Tobi. Then you picked Myū up from off your shoulder and held her in your arms. “Stop being rude, Myū!”

        “He smells weird!” Myū growled, clearly agitated. Her tail was flicking and her ears were pressed back on her head. Her claws were unsheathed and they were digging into your forearm through your cloak, and her fur was raised. “It’s okay!” You whispered into her fur, holding her closer and lightly kissing the top of her head before setting her on your shoulder again. “Tobi’s with me, he’s fine, kitty cat.” You put your hand on Tobi’s shoulder and looked at her on your shoulder. “See?”

        Myū grumpily kept her silence after that, refusing to talk for a bit, sitting in the “bread loaf” position on your shoulder and opting to stare directly in front of her with her paws tucked in and her chin dipped a bit. She still seemed a bit agitated, but her fur had flattened and her ears were no longer pressed against the back of her head, which was a step in the right direction. “I apologize for Myū’s behavior, Tobi. She’s never acted that way before. She’s probably just agitated from not being summoned in a while since she likes being summoned often.”

        “That’s ok, (Name)-chan! Tobi will make Myū like Tobi, even if it takes a long time!” Tobi brushed off Myū’s previous action towards him and giggled a bit when you looked over at him. He turned his head to look at Myū, skipping beside the two of you. “Myū-chan, why don’t you like Tobi?” He hopped around you as you walked with the cat in question still sitting on your shoulder.

        Myū stayed silent, narrowing her eyes at Tobi whenever he came into her field of vision without turning her head. Your summon was making you feel a bit uncomfortable with how she was acting so negatively to the least dangerous member of the Akatsuki who only cared about acting like a child. Tobi was only interested in the pretty kitty-cat and petting her, so to find out that his innocent wishes were going down the drain made your heart feel bad for him. But you also weren’t going to continue making up excuses as to why Myū was acting strange, because you honestly didn’t know.

        “I apologize about Myū, Tobi.”

        Tobi, oddly, took a little longer than expected to respond. “That’s ok, (Name)-chan! Tobi isn’t sad because he’s a good boy!”


	26. Tremors

        Myū didn’t leave your side for a long time after she first met Tobi. Her stay with you was even extended long after you returned to the hideout in Amegakure and well into the night, and when you woke up the next morning, she was gone. Tobi’s reactions to Myū’s demeanor around him seemed a bit… off, but you decided that he was just a bit sad that he wasn’t able to really interact with her like he had originally wanted to. But then that made you recall how whenever Tobi was sad about something, he reacted differently; he acted as a literal seven year old that couldn’t get the toy that they wanted from the store.

        It baffled you, but you reminded yourself that dwelling on something so miniscule was nothing to be bothered about, especially with Tobi. Because Tobi was, well - Tobi.

        As you were laying under your sheets that same night, staring up into the pitch darkness that you thought was the ceiling, you pulled your blankets up to your chin. You had said goodnight to Myū an hour ago, but you never really fell asleep, opting to think about the thoughts that you were having about Tobi today.

        You enjoyed that brief moment of contact in the common area with him. You enjoyed the feeling of his hair tickling your chin. His stupidity was oddly… endearing. Oftentimes, you weren’t happy. In fact, you were virtually never happy. The last time that you had felt true happiness was many years ago when you lived in the Leaf Country in Konohagakure. You weren’t a fool, you knew what that feeling meant when your legs touched in the common area. You weren’t so oblivious. You weren’t a little girl anymore, you know what your body is telling you when you feel things. When you meet someone that gives you a bad gut feeling, it’s your womanly instincts telling you to stay away from that person. When something hurts, you’re in pain. When your stomach aches, you’re hungry.

        So it was only right to know what the feeling of that swelling sensation in your chest was earlier today.

        You hadn’t felt that in many, many years.

        And now, you were feeling it again. But you didn’t want to. You pined after Obito Uchiha, not some stupid, idiotic fool that worked for an organization that forced you into it and definitely not someone who you have never even looked in the eye before since he wore that mask constantly. The idea of harboring feelings for someone who hadn’t revealed his physical identity before and possibly, just maybe had something to hide, made your stomach twist and your mouth dry up.

        But then something hit you.

        There was no way that a grown man like Tobi could act like such a fool by nature. You’ve seen real idiocy, and Tobi’s personality just seemed so… unrealistic. Whenever you were around him you just felt so weird, like something wasn’t right.

        Your eyes widened. A gut feeling.

        Now you had to follow it. You couldn’t pretend to think that Tobi was just the way he was by nature. There was just no way. There was a reason that Myū acted the way she did to him. Your summon wasn’t an idiot, either, no matter how silly she could get at times. She was an animal, and animals had instincts as well. Myū had never acted so viciously to someone whom you were accomplices with before. There was a reason that she acted that way, and you overlooked it.

        “I can see that you’re awake. I have good eyes in the dark, if you can remember.”

        Myū got up from her place by your feet to slowly walk across the bed towards your face and laid down right beside your head and shoulders on her side, facing you with her head laying on your pillow as well. Her paws were tucked close to her chest and you gently pulled the blanket out from underneath her furry body to tuck her into the sheets with you.

        “Yeah.” You whispered into the pitch darkness, pulling the blankets back up to your chin again.

        “There’s something on your mind.” Myū noted from your lack of proper response, shuffling closer to cuddle into your shoulder.

        “Myū…” You began. “What happened today?” You quietly asked her, curiosity gnawing at your sanity. Myū stopped purring and cuddled into you a little more to get comfortable, finally growing still after a few seconds of silence between the two of you. The tuxedo cat breathed in deeply and then sighed through her nose. “When you summoned me, I hadn’t expected you to be a part of the Akatsuki, but I am forever loyal to you, as will be the other five when I inform them of the news. We love you very much and care deeply for you, even if we are cats, which are known to be… not so friendly to people.” She began. Then after a couple more seconds, she continued. “I can sense danger out of any individual that comes near you or myself. Through the years when you and I would commit our crimes of stealing from villages to survive, I would sense danger out of a person and that would be it - they’d just be dangerous, and could be a potential threat to us. But when I met your friend today, (Name)... I sensed something so different from just danger. It was such a dark aura, it was so negative and horrible, (Name). I couldn’t believe that you hadn’t figured out who he was yet.”

        You were silent towards everything that Myū had just revealed. Your lips were parted and your eyebrows were furrowed together in disbelief that Myū was confirming what you thought to be true, and it might as well have been if even Myū felt it. Disgust wrapped your body and around your throat, keeping you from breathing. You wanted to refuse to believe it, but it was impossible. Tobi was hiding under a mask of malice and bad intentions, and you didn’t even notice at first. You cursed at yourself for falling for his facade, and it filled you with nothing but resentment for yourself.

        “Thank you for being so smart, kitty cat,” You whispered, rolling over in bed to cuddle your cat. You couldn’t remember when you went to sleep, but you did know that even long after your talk with Myū, you continued to think about the masked Akatsuki member and what else he was hiding.

        Along with the looped memories of Tobi's endearing, idiotic demeanor, his soft hair, and that swelling feeling in your chest when he held you in his arms.

 

 

        “You finally left your room! Good job.” Kisame congratulated, clapping his hands with an over-the-top grin on his face when you walked into the common area with a bowl of breakfast and a glass of water. Hidan stared at you over his shoulder with slightly parted lips but you hardly even noticed that he was existing in the same room as you. Vaguely realizing this since Hidan was a bit of a dunce, he spat under his breath and turned back to his activity in front of him, which was polishing the blades on his scythe - something that you never really saw him do. Your Akatsuki cloak billowed behind you as you walked over to one of the chairs that went to the dining table in between the common area and the kitchen. Its legs scraped against the floor as you pulled it out from under the table after you placed your two dishes on the tabletop. Sitting down on the chair, you scooted it into the table again and began to eat your first meal of the day.

        Kisame, Deidara, and Hidan were in the common area, each doing something of their own but all three of them maintaining something of a conversation. Deidara and Hidan kept getting into spats with each other while Kisame grew quiet each time, opting to keep out of it and use Samehada on his lap as a makeshift table top so that he could scrawl something on a small, pocket-sized notepad. His difference in size was noticeable compared to the two others and yourself - his torso alone was almost taller than the back of the couch. Kisame Hoshigaki was quite the character, and he seemed to fit right into the Akatsuki since he did look a bit scary.

        Keeping to yourself, you continued to eat your breakfast, pausing every once in a while to pick up your glass and down some of the water within. It was like you to be silent - one of the only people that you knew of that truly understood this was actually Kisame. Tobi might have been around you quite often, but he was like a child and hardly recognized that fact.

        You blinked. Oh, right. The thing that you were thinking about last night - Tobi… he was pretending to act like a child and probably did recognize that fact.

        A sigh escaped you and you set your cup of water down to hold your cheek in your hand, your wrapped up and broken one resting in your lap. You were facing away from the trio of Akatsuki members in the common area so that they couldn’t see your troubled expression. After a minute or two you decided that you probably should put those thoughts on hold for now and finish up your meal, else you would be starving the rest of the day.

        “(Name)-san.”

        You perked a bit and lifted your cheek off of your hand to look over your shoulder at who had said your name. Your eyes widened in surprise to see that it was none other than Zetsu who decided to speak to you today. The amount of conversations that you had with this flytrap of a member was pretty much zero since, for one, you only ever saw this Akatsuki member barely even once in a blue moon. That is why it was such a shock to even see Zetsu, let alone have him actually speak to you.

        “Hello,” You hesitantly said, still looking at him over your shoulder. The half-porcelain and half-shadowy, green-haired nonhuman stared at you with both of his faces just… staring.

        “Is there something you need?” You wondered, an eyebrow arching.

        Silence from him. Kisame and the other two in the common area noticed that Zetsu was present in the room, but they weren’t paying attention to your interaction with him whatsoever.

        “Okay…” You mumbled, finishing up your water and picking up both of your empty dishes to get up from the table and head into the kitchen. The empty bowl was set into the sink when Zetsu’s presence as well as his eyes staring at you was felt again, and you looked over at him again, this time with agitation growing on your expression. “What do you want?”

        “Let’s eat her and get it over with!” The dark side of his face said, his voice deep and angry sounding. “We probably shouldn’t, though…” The white side of him said.

        Your eyes widened and your brows furrowed in anger. You turned to face him, your feet parting and your arms ready at your sides. If Zetsu was about to try and cause harm to you, you were ready for it. Expression angry, you slowly created distance from Zetsu while he argued with himself in hushed whispers, never turning your back from him. Tightly holding the glass in your hand, the cup was concealed within your sleeve which kept Zetsu from noticing it.

        About ten feet separated the two of you in the kitchen before Zetsu finally made a decision with himself, his focus turning to you as you paused in your movements to create distance. You felt the weight of your kali stick attached to the belt that went around your shoulder and down around your waist. I have two individual weapons against Zetsu, but I can also use my kekkei genkai as well, you analyzed, thinking quickly to yourself.

        Zetsu charged at you, his arms spreading to reach for you and his flytrap of a mouth gaping to catch your form and swallow you up. Right as he came close enough, you chucked the glass cup at him and it landed square in the middle of his face, a few shards imbedding themselves into his skin. This was definitely not how you expected your morning to go, but if it was really going to head into this direction, then so be it.

        The nonhuman howled at the pain, briefly distracted by how the glass felt in his skin. Using your kekkei genkai, you reared your fist back, launching it directly into Zetsu’s gut. Your arm flexed at the impact, and you pushed your fist forward, making the plant-thing fly backwards into the wall with such force that it created a definition in the material. Zetsu’s breath was lost at the impact of your fist meeting his stomach and then his back meeting the wall.

        From the common area, Kisame, Hidan and Deidara whipped around after hearing the sound of glass shattering only to see Zetsu fly into the wall, creating a hole in it before he fell to the ground on his knees, and then his shaky hands. “Holy shit!” Hidan hooted, watching the scene unfold while a half-grin formed on his face. Kisame stuffed his small pocket-sized notepad into his cloak before picking up the handle of Samehada and jogging into the kitchen to see what exactly had happened. All he saw was bits and pieces of broken glass on the ground and you, standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring at Zetsu’s form with your fists held up to your stomach.

        “(Name), what did you do?!” Kisame exclaimed, gaping back and forth at Zetsu and yourself. An also gaping Deidara ran into the kitchen soon after Kisame, inspecting the damage. Hidan, instead of running into the kitchen, leisurely walked up to Zetsu’s gasping form who was on his hands and knees. The Jashinist grabbed the back of Zetsu’s neck and picked the plant-thing up that way, holding him up to the point of his toes barely touching the ground. “What the fuck did the bitch do this time?” Hidan nonchalantly said after inspecting Zetsu’s face to turn his head to you.

        “Zetsu tried to eat me.” You answered, a growl in your voice as you lowered your hands, but your feet were still parted and you were still ready for another fight. It would be a lie to say that you felt remorse for what you just did to the plant-thing, but you truly did not. No shred of regret or guilt came across your mind for what you just violently did, but what Zetsu was about to do was, seemingly, without reason and all the more violent than your bone-crushing punch to Zetsu. He probably didn’t even have any bones anyway, so he was fine.

        Kisame blinked at Zetsu, who Hidan unforgivingly dropped back onto the floor, true to his character. Zetsu made a pitiful, somewhat high-pitched grunt when he fell to the ground again, his hands catching himself before he face-planted. “Zetsu tried to eat you?” Kisame questioned aloud, disbelief in his voice.

        “Why do you sound like this hasn’t happened before, un?” Deidara questioned back at Kisame, annoyance in his tone as he gave a pointed glare at Kisame. The said shark-man in question looked down at Deidara, mouth gaping a bit to expose his sharp teeth. It seemed as if his teeth were always being exposed, like that was just the natural way that Kisame held his mouth. But Kisame remembered how Zetsu had entrapped Deidara in his flytrap months ago and the tall man held his hands up in a shrug, his face pulling into a sheepish grin. Deidara shivered at the memory of his legs flailing, the only part of his body that was sticking out from Zetsu’s flytrap and his muffled shouts coming from within the greenery. Two other members were fighting to pull the artist from certain death while shouts were filling the room - traumatic memory, for Deidara. The artist ughed and rolled his eyes at Kisame.

        As for you, however, you were almost eaten by this mysterious Akatsuki member whom you never saw or spoke to, and you were beyond furious.

        “Tobi is coming!” The masked member ran into the room by Hidan from the hallway exit that was on Hidan’s side of the kitchen, stopping to stand by the Jashinist. Tobi realized who he was standing next to and craned his neck to look up at Hidan, his gloved hands being held close together over his stomach. Tobi was bent at the knee slightly in a crouch to stare at Hidan in such a comical stance, and the silver-haired man turned his head after several seconds to look at Tobi with indifference in his magenta eyes once he finally noticed the stupid boy beside him.

        Immediately, Tobi slapped Hidan in the face. It wasn’t a hard slap, just one that was just a little harder than what is called “soft” for it to kind of hurt the Jashinist. Hidan shook his head in surprise and began shouting crude profanities at Tobi as the boy hopped and then raced over to Kisame, Deidara and yourself to hide behind his senpai. “YOU WEIRD CUM-DUMPSTER, I’M GONNA KILL YOU ONE DAY!” Hidan threatened, clenching his fists and slapping a hand on the tabletop.

        Tobi held onto Deidara’s shoulders and cried, “Deidara-senpai, help Tobi! Oh, hi, (Name)-chan!”

        You glanced at Tobi from the corner of your eye and stepped away from the trio of men, silently turning away to head into the common area to leave the kitchen. Heading towards one of the tall windows that were left open, you stepped out of the building while focusing your chakra to your feet so that you could walk on the outside wall. Heading over to a spot where there were no windows, you sat on the wall with your forearms resting on your knees and stared at the city below you while the rain pelted your back.

        The experience of having yet another Akatsuki member attack you undoubtedly left you shaken, and you just wanted to be alone after that. You held your face in your hands, your eyes and other features pulling with your palms against your cheekbones and temples. A shaky sigh left you and you soon started to pinch the bridge of your nose. I can’t believe this has happened again.

        “Uh, (Name)?” The sound of Kisame’s call for you was heard through the pelting rain, and you lifted up your head to look down at the window below and see the shark-man leaning out of it and holding his hand over his eyes to shield them from the rain as he was staring at you. “Leader wants to see you.”

        Leader?

        Sighing, you stood up and walked down the wall to climb back into the window, your sopping wet sandals soaking the floor beneath you. Your hair was dripping as were the rest of your clothes but you didn’t care about the looks that the others were giving you. Zetsu was gone and out of the room, the only trace of him left behind being the imprint of his back in the wall.

        “Tobi will come with (Name)-chan—” Tobi appeared next to you, excitement in his tone. Your heart began to race as the man was following you towards the exit of the common area. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

        “No!” You yelled, interrupting Tobi and whirling around to face him. The tall man jumped in surprise at your outburst and the others were watching yet another scene unfold in silence. Hidan tried to say something, but Kisame slapped his hand over the Jashinist’s mouth to keep him silent.

        “But whyyy, (Name)-chan?!” Tobi whined, beginning to sink to his knees but picking himself up again as his hands fell to his sides in a childlike fit. You turned your chin up to look at his taller figure, taking a step back and shaking your head. “I don’t want you to talk to me! Don’t come near me anymore. Leave me alone!”

        The room became so quiet that you could hear a drop of water falling from the faucet in the kitchen. Water droplets fell from your form and onto the floor, and you could hear your heart racing in your chest. Tobi only stood in place, too frozen to move. His chin was turned downwards slightly so he was able to look at you through the eyehole in his mask.

        Kisame, Deidara, and Hidan stared on at the two of you, not daring to move either, else they spark your wrath as well. But they weren’t the ones who you were after. Well, two of them weren’t.

        Water began to collect in your eyes the more you glared up at that stupid orange mask until dipped your chin to look away. Whirling around, you left the room at a brisk pace to head to Leader’s office, holding back your tears.

        Why is this happening to me?

        After you were out of earshot, Hidan mumbled, "Someone's on their period."

        Deidara was staring at Tobi who was still rooted in place, staring at the empty hallway in front of him. This was the most subdued that the artist had ever seen the masked boy, and he hated to admit it, but Deidara felt a bit bad for Tobi. Time and time again Deidara screamed just like that at Tobi, but this time was different. Tobi was obviously the most attached to you, no matter the fact that Tobi would address Deidara as "senpai". The bomber could feel the shock and heartbreak coming from Tobi, and it was radiating off of him in thick waves.

        "Tobi," Deidara hesitantly began, still not believing that he was asking the annoyance this. "Are you okay, un?"

        Tobi jumped so slightly that Deidara almost didn't catch it. His head turned to look over his shoulder at Deidara before he slowly turned his body around altogether to face the three other Akatsuki members. "Tobi is okay." He quietly informed. After a few more seconds the masked boy followed suite and briskly left the room down the opposite hallway.

        "Damn." Kisame said after Tobi left as well, sucking in a breath. "First (Name) punches Zetsu into the wall and now she's broken that fool's heart. It's just one after another, I suppose."

        "I gotta admit. That was pretty fuckin' funny." Hidan said, smacking his lips and shaking his head before turning back to his scythe and grabbing his rag to finish the job.

 

 

        "You fool! What did you do to her?!" Obito growled.

        "I was spying on her last night, Madara-sama!" Zetsu tried to intervene in the situation, taking a step back from Obito as he was getting in Zetsu's face, ready to hit the plant-thing with the powerful force that is known as his fists. The two Akatsuki members were in a private meeting room in the tower that no one used. The room was completely empty save for a single chair in the corner, which no one knew why it was there in the first place. The room was completely locked with no way of getting in, which is why this room in particular was the perfect place for Obito and Zetsu to talk on this occasion since they both could phase through things.

        "You were spying on (Name)?" Obito raised his voice just a bit, his anger very clear. Obito thought that he had made it absolutely clear to not touch you in any way, shape, or form, and Zetsu did just that. Zetsu had directly disobeyed Tobi by trying to attack and eat you.

        Zetsu swallowed and stood still while Obito stood in his face, nearly nose-to-nose. Obito's sharingan swirled into existence through the eyehole of his mask, the glaring red gleam of it reflecting off of Zetsu's eye. "Madara-sama, I heard (Name)-san talking to her summon late last night. The animal has gotten (Name)-san suspicious of you, and I am convinced that she knows that you might not be who you say you are... Madara-sama."

        Shock flashed in Obito's one visible eye before his anger returned and Obito's hand shot forward to grab Zetsu around the throat. "Don't touch her again, or I'll sacrifice you!" Obito pushed Zetsu away with his hand before he walked away to phase back through the wall.

 

 

        Knocking on Pein’s office door, you waited a couple seconds before you heard the muffled voice of the man. “Come in.”

        You entered Pein’s office and shut the door behind you, seeing that Konan was nowhere to be seen. You briefly thought that maybe she was gone out of the base somewhere, but you didn’t care enough to focus on that. Right now, you were staring at the back of Pein, who was standing over the ledge of the opening of his office, staring down at the city. Then, he turned to walk away from the ledge and head towards his desk, standing behind it and staring back at you with his two flashing rinnegans.

        “(Name).” Pein began. “It has come to my attention that you are not on the best of terms with your partner.”

        Ah, this is about Hidan.

        “I am not, Leader-sama.” You confirmed, looking down at the top of Pein’s desk instead of looking directly into his eyes. Pein continued to stare holes into your face. “It has also come to my understanding that the two of you have the potential to kill each other, and I do not need that in my organization. The two of you simply do not get along, and there is no changing it.”

        I don’t know where this is going.

        “Furthermore, I have given it thought, and I will let you have your freedom to be a one-woman team with only yourself.” Your eyes shot back up to Pein, surprise in your expression. “From this point onward, you will not be accompanying Hidan or Kakuzu on any missions that they go on together, permanently.”

        Thank god.

        “Since you will now go on missions only by yourself, you have a specific task that I want you to do.” Pein continued, his eyes continually staring straight through your soul and judging every decision that you have ever made in your life. “You will be the Akatsuki’s eyes and ears, as well as the thief for this organization. You will steal everything that will be of value to us, and you will return all information and stolen items to only myself.”

        “If I may ask, Leader-sama,” You cautiously intervened, lowering your gaze back to the desk. “Why are you choosing me to do this specific job?”

        “You have a great amount of experience in being yourself. That is how you became S-Class.” Pein answered as if it should have been obvious. Honestly, it should have been, but you were just too shocked to really think about it.

        “Leader-sama, when is my next mission, then?”

        “Now.”


	27. Sensibility

        Heading back through the hallway, you were several floors down on the floor that you lived in. Leaving as soon as Pein briefed you about the mission would have been easy, but you wanted to go back to your quarters to get some things first. You did not have many belongings, but all that you did have was just a pack, medicinal things, and two old trinkets from childhood. One of them was the small, antique cat that was the size of your pinkie that you had retrieved from that antique shop during your first mission as a Konoha nin. The second trinket that you had was the bracelet that Obito had made you before his untimely death. You stood in front of your dresser, inspecting the bracelet and the faded letters that the boy had carved into each piece.

        “Remember”.

        You did remember, if that was what Obito had wanted. You remembered your friendship and how much you adored the boy; how he was the only one to truly care for you in your whole life since your caretakers had died. The last time you had worn Obito’s bracelet was when you were seventeen. Wearing the bracelet was making you feel too many emotions at the time, so you would always keep it in your pack where you couldn’t see it. Tenderly slipping it onto your wrist, you could only feel comfort at wearing it again. It was loose on your wrist, albeit; but that was fine to you.

        Placing your kali stick on the strap around your torso, you then hooked your small pack to your belt beneath your cloak and double-checked to make sure that you had changed your bandages around your thigh. Affirming your thoughts, you sighed at seeing that you had this morning since you had forgotten. Good.

        Leaving your room again, you quietly shut your door behind you and stood in front of it, your hands placed against the surface of your door behind you. After about two seconds, you noticed a presence in the hallway with you. Itachi stood in front of his own door as you were with his arms hanging by his sides. He was already side staring you when you turned your head to look at him. The Uchiha was silent, his eyes never moving from your form nor was he showing any of his thoughts in his expression.

        You took a step away from your door, still keeping eye contact with the Uchiha. After a moment you gave him a subtle nod of acknowledgement. The both of you turned away at the same moment to go in opposite directions, and all you could think of was how peculiar that moment was. Itachi, however, was staring at you for a reason. He had heard what happened between Zetsu and yourself from Kisame not long after it occurred when Itachi went into the kitchen earlier, and the Uchiha could only think of how the plant-thing would have attempted at eating you for a reason. You knew something, and you weren’t on board with it. The other Akatsuki thought that Zetsu had only done it because he randomly did it to Deidara once, but Itachi was no fool. He knew that there was a reason this time, and Itachi was going to investigate it.

        When you eventually reentered the common area, Kisame and Hidan were still sitting on the couches but Deidara was nowhere to be seen. You took a bottle of water from the kitchen and set it in your pack on your waist beneath your cloak before taking a hair tie and tying your damp hair up to get it out of your face.

        Kisame was staring at you out of the corner of your eye and Hidan was simply laying on his back on the couch, hands folded over his stomach with his eyes closed.

        "You seem to be a bit hostile today." Kisame finally said, making Hidan's eye crack open to see who he was talking to. Then Hidan saw you dawning your weapon and looking ready to go somewhere. "Where the hell are you going?" Hidan rudely said. He seemed to be a bit more relaxed and not as murderous around you anymore since he had crippled you for a few days. It seemed that that was all he had wanted, to seriously injure you just once. It was twisted, but Hidan wasn't being a ginormous asshole anymore and he wasn't constantly at your throat, either.

        Ignoring Kisame's comment about you, you answered Hidan instead. "To do a mission that Pein assigned me." You walked past the two men and walked over to the still open window, looking out of the exit and looking over the city below. Then you turned back to Hidan and adjusted the collar of your cloak. "I'm not in your team anymore. I'm officially on my own now, so I don't have to deal with your bullshit."

        Hidan narrowed his eyes and sat up on his hand. "You bitch, my bullshit is the best you will ever come to meet."

        Rolling your eyes, you stood on the windowsill and leaped out of the building, exiting out of Amegakure the same way that you had with Tobi yesterday.

 

 

        Slapping your hand on the ground outside of Amegakure, two figures appeared out of the fog of your summoning jutsu. The smoke cleared away to reveal Myū, and one of your other ninneko summons.

        “I’m summoned?” Nishiki, a short, orange kurilian bobtailed cat huffed out. “What do you need me for this time?” The kurilian bobtail snarked. Myū was happily looking up at you with expectancy, her salmon colored bandana around her neck making her look like the cutest little kitty in the whole world. Nishiki wore a brand like Myū’s bandana, as well - all six of your ninneko summons did, although stylized a bit differently but bearing the same color and theme. Nishiki wore a cape-like brand for himself, the whole adornment wrapping around his figure but stopping at the very end of his back to have breathing room for his back legs and small nub of a tail. The cloak was split down the middle on his front, also giving his front legs room to move around. Where the cloak was tied around his neck to keep it on his figure was a thin strap that was tied into a neat little bow. He looked absolutely adorable, although most ninneko were very mean and kniving, often known to lead travelers off their path to get lost.

        As for Nishiki’s kanji, on the side of Nishiki’s cape, it bore the kanji “sixth sense”, which vaguely revealed Nishiki’s ability of being able to sense ninja or other creatures, which proved very useful to you when you were in the woods at night when you were by yourself, since you didn’t exactly have night vision. Nishiki kept you from getting seen by other nin many, many times over the years. However, you did not have him summoned the night that the Akatsuki found you, which was entirely your fault and the whole reason that you got into this mess. Maybe the Akatsuki would have found you anyways, you did not know. But you still liked to think that Nishiki could have stopped all of it if you’d only had him summoned.

        “If Nishiki and I are summoned at the same time,” Myū looked at her shorter brethren. “Then that means that you’re about to do some freaky business!”

        Cocking an eyebrow, the corner of your mouth turned upwards just barely. “And I suppose you know this because…?”

        “We’ve never been summoned together before and now that we are, our combined abilities make trouble. And you, (Name)-sama,” The short tabby rubbed himself against your legs. “Must be looking for trouble.”

        Quietly chuckling, you allowed the both of them to hop onto each of your shoulders before taking off towards your mission.

 

 

        What Pein had wanted you to retrieve was a scroll from a village that had some sort of powerful jutsu in it, you had guessed. Pein had only said that he wanted this one certain scroll from a village within the Fire Country, and honestly, you really didn't want to do it if it meant going into just that specific place. The last time that you were in the Fire Country was when you left Konohagakure and you wanted it to stay that way. But if it meant retrieving this scroll that you needed to get... you would just have to suck it up.

        You jumped from tree to tree with your two summons following behind you on either side of your legs. By now with all of the greenery that you were seeing, you assumed that you were in the Fire Country and probably have been for a while. You knew the direction of the small little village that you needed to steal from, you just couldn't see where it was from the treetops. A vantage point was needed to see it, so you suddenly stopped on a tree branch.

        Myū and Nishiki stopped about one branch after you, not expecting you to suddenly pause in your travelling. "What is it?" Myū lowly questioned, looking up at you as you were scoping out the top of the trees from your place. After a few moments, Nishiki began to get impatient. "Argh—we need to keep moving! A Hidden Leaf nin could come at any moment and that would be the end of you!" Nishiki whispered, agitation coated over his tone. "I'm looking for the tallest tree so that I can see where the village is. I don't know how far away it is and I'm starting to get impatient as well." You whispered, but the two summons heard you with their enhanced hearing. "Fine, but do so quickly, (Name)-sama. The more we wait, the higher the chance is of us getting caught." Nishiki's pupils were contracting with the impatience and if he had a tail, it would be swishing back and forth.

        "Calm down, Nishiki." Myū said to the tom, watching you carefully climb to the top of a tree so as to not cause too much movement for any potential danger in the distance. "I'm trying, but if (Name)-sama gets caught, then her reputation will rise to something beyond S-Rank soon enough. She's an Akatsuki, Myū." Nishiki sighed, sitting down on the branch. "I never really expected her to join the organization, but she really doesn't have the time to get caught by someone that she knows here either. I'm only trying to protect (Name)-sama."

        "(Name) will be fine." Myū pressed, giving a pointed look over to Nishiki. The tabby only ignored the tuxedo's stare and closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves.

        However, at the top of the tree, you scoped out the area and about a few miles in the distance, you saw a part in the trees where you assumed the small village was. Finally, you thought, burning the image into your mind so that you'd remember the exact direction and where to get ready for entrance.

        Levitating back down to the branch where your summons were, you began to leap from branch to branch again, Myū and Nishiki right on your tail almost immediately. About thirty-five minutes later, you made it close enough to the entrance of the small town to stop and get ready for entrance. "Alright, Myū. I need you right now."

        "I am at your service," Myū jokingly bowed onto one of her paws. "Okay, Myū. What I need you to do is go in there and sneak around to find out where the scroll would be. If anything from my years of stealing things, if it's something important then it's in a very fancy-looking place. If there is no fancy looking place, then it's in the most least-suspecting places there is in the village. If there is neither of them, then it's on a person or in a person's home, probably."

        "Got that covered." Myū nodded, listening to your words of advice. "I've been doing this for a long time too, y'know!" The cat reminded, a feigned look of hurt on her small furry face. "Just making sure." You half joked, patting her head. "Alright, kitty cat. Don't let anyone pick you up or anything."

        Myu nodded and was readying herself to hop from the tree branch, but after looking at her for a short amount of time, you stopped her. "Wait!" You interrupted, pulling her back to untie the bandana from her neck. The people in the village would probably think that the word "thief" on her bandana was a joke, but some people aren't as dense as they seem and would probably look right through it and know that Myū would actually steal something. After stuffing the appendage into your pack, you gave her a gentle push and Myū departed, trotting towards the village entrance with her tail held high.

        Nishiki longingly looked at it. "Tails," He spat. "Hmph. Don't need one, never want one."

        You looked over at the short animal, cocking a brow. "Seems like you've really detached yourself from them."

        "That's definitely right." Nishiki flippantly said, sitting down on the branch. You followed suit and sat against the base of the tree from your place on the branch, setting your forearms down on your knees.

        It was about two whole hours before word of Myū came forward.

        "(Name)-sama." Nishiki quickly sat up, looking down at the ground. You jumped, looking at him with expectancy. "Myū is coming."

        Standing up on the branch, you watched the ground for any sign of the tuxedo cat. After three minutes, the tuxedo appeared. The bits of white fur that she had were stained black, which made you only wonder what had happened to her while she was gone. The cat climbed up the tree and once she was in front of you, you began wiping her off with your sleeve.

        "What happened to you?" You wondered, cleaning the cat off.

        "The scroll was in the chimney of this old man's home. I had to climb into it to retrieve it since it was in a hole within the chimney, so it was a bit of work to get it out." Myū informed, standing back to get ready to regurgitate the scroll from her bottomless pit of a stomach. It took a moment for it to appear out of her mouth, but once it did you took hold of it and pulled it out.

        Still in that regurgitating position as if she was going to hack up a furball, Myū stayed like that for three more seconds before picking herself up and following your instruction. "Where are you gonna go now?"

        "I'm heading back to Amegakure, but I was debating on whether or not to go into that village and pickpocket some people for ryo. I'm poor and I certainly will not ask Kakuzu for money forever, but I think that the two of you should probably pack your bags now." You answered, pulling Myū's bandana out of your pack to tie it around her neck again.

        Nishiki's ears perked up at what you said. "No. You should leave now, you don't have any more time to lose here."

        Sighing, you thought that your summon was right, as he usually was. You adjusted your cloak and looked at Myū. "Well, when you're not summoned by me, I'm gonna have to request that you steal some ryo for me." Myū nodded before the two summons vanished in a veil of smoke, and that was that from the two of them.

        Pressing your lips together, you began to head back the way you came.

        While you were jumping from branch to branch, your mind began to wander back to what had happened a few hours before. You had lost your self composure towards Tobi, and during the most inappropriate moment as well, not to mention the fact that Kisame, Deidara, and Hidan were all in the same room. It was unprofessional of you, but you couldn't stop yourself from thinking that you were still right to say that you had said to Tobi. He was probably trying to get you to like you so that he could manipulate you, or something. He was probably trying to get you into his clutches so that he could sneak you into some empty room so that he could kill you there.

        Anything was possible, in your mind. Especially now that you knew that Tobi isn't who he said he was, even if he hadn't come out about it to anyone else. You didn't want that man coming near you again, else you would have to get physical, and you...

        What were you thinking? Your mind was telling you to hurt Tobi if he came near you again. Guilt began to tug at your senses when you thought about it, and when you tried to picture yourself hurting the masked man, you just couldn't bring yourself to do it. That man was infuriating in many ways, but one of the most infuriating parts about him was that you couldn't keep yourself from not thinking about how kind he was to you most of the time as well as just the feeling of him touching you.

        The way he held you when he carried you to a nearby village.

        The way his short, soft, and dark hair brushed against your lips.

        The feeling of his thigh touching your own.

        The more you thought about it, the more you began to think about how familiar his attention was to you. You couldn't put your finger on it, but something about it just struck a chord in you and you couldn't figure out where. It nagged at all of your senses to try and remember why it seemed so... different, that you didn't notice how you were about to run into another person that was coming from the side of you.

        You yelped when your body slammed into the foe's body, the apparent man grunting loudly as well and the two of you began to plummet to the forest floor. On your way down, your body fell into several branches, as did his, and your head smacked against one during the fall. All you could think in that moment before your head collided with the branch was shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!

        All of the air left your body when your chest met with the ground, the sound of the other person's body hitting the ground right after you came not only a split second later. It took work to pick yourself up again, and the feeling of your thigh smacking onto the forest floor hurt. Your wound was throbbing with the impact, as was your casted wrist. A groan left you as you slowly picked yourself up, your head throbbing.

        "Damn it," You choked out, rolling over onto your back to sit up on your hands. At the exact same time, the unknown male rolled over just like you to sit up on his hands as well. "I'm sorry, miss," He apologized, rubbing his head with his gloved hand. You pressed your hand against your temple at the splitting pain that you were feeling. Admittedly, this pain was probably the worst head pain that you had ever felt in your life, and it made it almost unbearable to even open your eyes.

        However, the stranger opened his own eyes to look at you from his spot on the ground about ten feet away.

        His eyes immediately shot wide open and he quickly stood up on his feet, his expression looking as if he had seen a ghost.

        Your eyes slowly opened, slowly letting yourself adjust to the sunlight that was shining in your face. Not good for your skull-splitting headache, but you were still vulnerable to this man in your position, and you couldn't find any way to pick yourself up without collapsing onto the ground again. The sunlight was blaring into your eyes, so you quickly shut them again.

        "(Name)..." He breathed, shock in his breathless tone.

        You were Akatsuki.

        At the sound of your name being spoken by this stranger, your heart began to pound against your chest. Oh no. Eyes slowly cracking open, you slowly looked inch by inch up the stranger's figure, until you got to the man's face. You didn't recognize him with that mask over his features, save for that one eye and his silver hair.

        Silver hair.

        Staring down at you was the boy that you had tried to become friends with when you were a child.

        The boy that refused all of your efforts, always pushing you away from him.

        The boy that acted like he wished you never showed up.

        The boy that let Obito and Rin die.

        Fury began to boil within you. How dare he.

        How dare that damn Hatake. How dare he act like he was shocked to see you again, as if he all of a sudden cared about it. How fucking dare he. Pure anger for this man made you unable to think straight, and the anger was making your head hurt more. God, it felt like you had a fucking migraine from the impact of your head hitting the tree. Nausea began to well up in your throat and you choked.

        Without warning, you turned your head and retched before collapsing onto your side and losing consciousness. Kakashi gasped, calling out your name and beginning to run over to you, had he not been interrupted by another Akatsuki member dawning an orange mask phasing in front of you, blocking Kakashi's sight of your form.

        The masked man stood there, staring at Kakashi as Kakashi stared back, his expression still ghostly. Then, after a few moments of the staring contest, the masked man picked you up and held you in his arms before leaping into a nearby tree.

        It was then that Kakashi realized what had just happened. "W-Wait!" He shouted after the man who was holding you in his arms, but when the Hatake tried to follow after the two of you, no trace of the two Akatsuki members were found. Kakashi was at a complete loss, frustration beginning to tug at him. After a while of standing on a branch and staring at nothing, the Konoha nin leaped back down to where he had fallen. When he inspected the sight, he noticed something on the ground near the tree that you had smacked into a few times during your plummet.

        A bracelet.

 

 

        Obito teleported to your room, quickly walking over to your bed and carefully setting you down onto the mattress. The man got rid of your kali stick and the strap along with it, setting it down on the ground by your bed and opening up your cloak to remove your satchel from your belt and digging through it to grab the scroll that you'd gotten for Pein. Obito rolled open the scroll to look at it, and the man scoffed behind his mask. The man placed the scroll beneath his cloak and set your satchel down on the dresser.

        You had told him to stay away from you, but the man could not do that. Not after he saw that you were almost captured by that damned Hatake. Obito was frustrated with you; you were reckless and you had no sense of ambition for your safety, seeing as how you let your summons leave so quickly before you even left the Fire Country. Obito was furious, and he wasn't going to let you off easy. No way was he going to just let you be on your own after an incident like that. He had masked himself the entire time that he was watching over you so that your summon wouldn't be able to sense his presence.

        However, you were still unconscious, and this was something that made Obito wonder about your personal health. Something was going on with you that you weren't telling him or anyone else, and it was nagging at his brain. There was a reoccurring theme with you that Obito noticed ever since you joined the Akatsuki. You had a knack for not being able to remember the most simplest of things to remember; you felt each emotion very intensely; most damning of all was how easy it was for you to get that migraine, throw up, and pass out.

        Obito was suspecting that you had undergone some sort of brain injury before, and that was not good.

        You were back in your bed because of an injury. Your previous visit to your bed wasn't your fault; it was all Hidan's doing. But this time, it was all your fault for not being reasonable about your well being. The Uchiha closed the curtains to your window and shut out all of the light from within your quarters, consuming your room within darkness. Then he sat on the side of your bed and turned on the lamp by your bed so that he could see you better.

        Obito then turned his gaze over to you through his mask. He simply stared at you with his hands folded in his lap, his gaze burning a whole into your face. Silence engulfed him for a long, long time.

        Rin was never like you.

        During the time that the man would spend with you, he came to realize something almost three months ago.

        Obito Uchiha had feelings for you, the stray girl who he brought back to Konohagakure all those years ago.

        The man refused to acknowledge it for a long time, always pushing down the thought of you whenever your face appeared in his mind. His mission was to fulfill the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan so that he could be with Rin for eternity, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. When Obito first recruited you into the Akatsuki, he had originally wanted another strong member for his team and refused to think about his past with you. But the more that he was around you, every bit of his being was drawn to you, and he couldn't help but just be near you and talk to you. When he came to accept his feelings for you two months ago, he only wanted one thing.

        He just wanted you to be safe, and now he regretted ever teaming you up with Hidan and Kakuzu. He had failed at keeping you from harm, and you paid the price for having a broken wrist and a ruined leg. That thigh injury would probably stick with you forever, and it was all Obito's fault. And now that you were alone to yourself for future missions like he had wanted, you had thrown Obito for a loop once again for not having any sensibility for your well being whatsoever and almost being brought back to Konohagakure for your actions. He would never let that Hatake take you back to that village, and Obito would make sure of that.

        Now that you were here with him, Obito could ensure your safety.

        Hesitantly, the Uchiha reached over to touch your face. He held his fingers over your cheek in hesitance for a moment before cautiously, but tenderly caressing your cheek with his gloved thumb. He wanted to take his glove off so that he could actually feel your face with his hand, but he just couldn't risk it. Your door was locked, but anything could happen and what could go wrong will go wrong. But oh, did Obito want to touch you with his bare hands. He wanted to hold your face and caress it and feel your soft hair between his bare fingers. He wanted to feel your soft hands in his own without fear of having you see that one hand is a total different color than the other from the plant-matter that was in his system.

        Above all... Obito's gaze trailed down to your lips.

        Sighing, he pulled his hand away. It would never work between the two of you. You enjoyed freedom and being by yourself and you wanted nothing more than to escape this hell of a world. Obito would never want to chain you down with broken thoughts of himself and of Rin, nor did he want you to know just how evil he's become. Most of all, he admitted to himself, he would be afraid of your reaction to seeing that he was alive again and how ugly he looked.

        Obito saw that your brows began to furrow and that you were about to wake up. The masked man stood from your bed to stand by the side of it and he watched as you stirred, your expression contorting into that of pain before your hand flew up to your temple to dig your fingers into your skin. Your head was killing you.

        "That won't work, (Name)-chan." Tobi told you, making your eyes fly open and realize that you were back in your bedroom and that damn man was standing over your bed.

        Your expression turned into that of anger, but pain was still wracking you. "I thought I told you to go away!" You choked out, the pain making it hard to talk normally. "Tobi would have left (Name)-chan, but..."

        "... You were being completely irresponsible for your own life."

        The dark voice that you had just heard coming from the normally, happy-go-lucky masked man-child shook you to the bone. His deep voice gave you shivers at how it sounded, like he could end your life with the snap of his fingers. Your eyes trailed up to his mask in the dim lighting of your room and you stared in wide-eyed silence.

        Obito, seeing this, clenched his fists.

        "You have nothing to say?" He growled at you, your expression staying the same. Obito began to grow frustrated again. "You are incredibly reckless." He began. "You make me angry. You seem to have no ambition to keep your own life and you have no respect for it. I am infuriated with you. Your actions show that you do not care if you got caught by that Konoha nin or if he had ended your own life!" His voice was rising and falling with fury as he scolded you for your actions.

        "What do you know?!" You burst out, anger all over your tone as well. "You don't know me!"

        At that comment, Obito fell silent for a few moments before he began to speak again. "I know enough about you to know that you are a reckless decision-maker. What would you have done if you got caught by that Konoha nin, (Name)?!"

        "You know what? I knew that you weren't who you said you were." You changed the subject to fire a shot at Obito, the impulse to do this being too strong. "I knew that you were just lying to manipulate me or something! I don't see why you even care about my decisions! What reason would a liar have to do that?"

        "Don't change the subject." Obito growled, setting his knee on the edge of the bed to cage you with both of his hands on either side of your head. "You know that I'm right, and that's why you're changing the subject. I've learned a lot about you over these past months, (Name). You only change the subject when you're uncomfortable from being called out about something. Well, listen here. I won't fall for that, and you can't make me, either." The closeness of this infuriating man made you freeze in your own bed as you stared up at the eyehole in his mask.

        "You infuriating woman." Obito mumbled after half a minute of silence, still not moving from his place above you.

        Staring up at him, your lips began to part at just the mere realization at how close he was. Your gaze trailed over to his shoulder before you moved it back over to where you thought his eye was beneath that mask. "Y-You... you're very close." You mumbled, not daring to move.

        "I know."

        Your heart was racing in your ribcage. "Tobi," You hesitantly whispered. "What is this?"

        The masked man didn't say anything. After a long time of him staring down at you with his arms trapping you on your bed, he sighed and pulled himself away. Taking a few steps back from your bed, he reached under his cloak and took the scroll from his belt, pulling it out and revealing it to you. "I will be delivering this to Pein, not you. I don't want to see you leaving this room for the rest of the night."

        "You can't do that to me!" You protested, quickly sitting up in bed only to have your brain burst into a fit of pain and you fell back down to your pillow again.

        Obito huffed at your protest. "That is why you won't be leaving this room for the rest of the day. I will be back soon."

        You heaved a sigh and closed your eyes as Obito headed over to your door. "Oh, (Name)." He called out to you, turning from the door to look at you over his shoulder. "Don't tell anyone about my voice, or that I am not actually this Tobi person."

        You opened your eyes to look at the mysterious man at your door before turning your head away. And like that, the Uchiha left your room, shutting the door behind him.


	28. Tenacious

        "Hokage-sama!"

        Tsunade jumped in her seat from the burst of urgency that came from Kakashi Hatake when he entered her office. The Hokage was reading over documents from Sunagakure when the Hatake came in, so in order to save the place that she was interrupted at, the woman scribbled a mark on the paper where she left off. Shizune, Tsunade's assistant, also jumped and the pig in her arms made a squealing noise.

        "Kakashi?" Tsunade inquired, her expression full of confusion. "What is it? Why do you look like you've seen the devil himself?"

        Kakashi walked up to the Hokage's desk and stood where he was supposed to whenever he came by. The Hatake clenched his fists by his sides, pressing them firmly into his thighs. "Hokage-sama," He began, catching his composure back and slowly relaxing his muscles. "I was heading over to the small north-western village near the border, and I ran into two Akatsuki members."

        Tsunade's expression immediately sobered up and she took on a look of complete focus on Kakashi's words. "Who were they?"

        "One of them was a member that I don't think anyone else has seen before. The other was an ex-nin that trained here in Konoha." Kakashi filled in, slowly getting to what he really wanted to say.

        "Who?" Tsunade inquired further, leaning over the edge of her desk.

        "It was a girl named (Name). Third Hokage-sama brought her in while I was training with Team Minato." Kakashi finally said, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple. Tsunade looked from Kakashi's face down to the wooden flooring of her office, a look on her face that suggested she was thinking about something. Kakashi and Shizune both stared at Tsunade, waiting for what she had to say about all this.

        "What happened when you saw her?" Tsunade questioned the ninja in front of her desk, setting her elbows on top of the desk and folding her hands over her mouth.

        Kakashi straightened up a bit more. "There was a complaint over in the village by the north-western border, so I went to go investigate it like you had asked, Hokage-sama. However, before I could make it to the village, I crashed into (Name) while I was going through the trees. We fell to the clearing below and (Name) was unable to pick herself up from the ground since she got hurt, I suppose. Before I could make it over to (Name), her accomplice retrieved her first and they both disappeared without a trace."

        Tsunade intently listened, her eyes narrowing a bit near the end. "I see. We'll just have to add her to the book, then. I'll also see to it that her file in the warehouse gets updated. You are dismissed, Kakashi. Thank you for informing me, I'll send someone else to check on the village instead."

        Kakashi nodded and stepped out of the Hokage's office.

        "Shizune." Tsunade called, her folded hands pressing against her chin.

        "Yes, Hokage-sama?" Shizune walked over to the front of Tsunade's desk, hands clasped over her naval. Tsunade was staring off distantly, her head full of thoughts about what Kakashi had just revealed.

        "Please go inform one of the ninja guards outside to retrieve Anko from the Investigation Centre. She needs to report to my office immediately."

        "Yes, Hokage-sama."

 

 

        Kakashi left Tsunade's office, heading down the hallway and out of the building. The man was wandering without realizing it, gloved hands shoved in his pockets and his feet blindly taking him through the streets of Konohagakure. Kids passed by the jonin, laughing and chasing each other in their wake, acting as if they were as free as birds flying in the warm evening sky. Kakashi numbly watched the children as they ran past him, turning around to capture the sight of one of the girls stopping and putting her thumbs in her ears and wiggling her fingers, eyes crossed and tongue popping out. The young boy that was chasing her huffed and continued after the girl, running after her until they rounded a corner and were no longer in sight.

        “You can’t catch me!”

        “Yes I will! You took my goggles! Don’t you know that I need them?!”

        A young (Name) laughed as she held up Obito’s orange goggles and put them on her face, securely tightening the strap so that it fit on her head. Kakashi, who was reading a small book in an outdoor cafe on the side of the street, looked up to see the situation play out. He watched as (Name) lifted her hands up to her ears and pressed her thumbs against the sides of her head and crossed her eyes, sticking out her tongue at the young Uchiha.

        “You can’t get me!” (Name) repeated, screeching in excitement when Obito huffed and began chasing after the girl again. “Give me back my goggles! I need them to protect my eyes!”

        Kakashi watched as the two ran out of sight, slowly looking back down at his book again and ignoring what had just happened, a sneer on his expression beneath the mask.

        Numbly, Kakashi turned back around and continued walking, this time with a more forlorned edge to his step. In his right pocket, the man clutched the bracelet that he found on the forest floor between his fingers, your face that was full of hatred flashing in Kakashi’s mind.

        As Kakashi continued to walk, he happened to pass the restaurant that he first hung out with (Name) in. That day when she took him out to eat there was the turning point.

        “Do you want to go back to eat there this evening?” (Name) questioned.

        Kakashi was heading back home after his day of training with Team Minato when the girl appeared beside him again, hope in her eyes that the silver-haired boy would say yes and come with her. The twelve-year-old boy didn’t even spare the girl a glance.

        “No.”

        (Name)’s expression fell at his answer. Her hopes had been raised, and now her heart felt as if it had plummeted. Maybe the girl could convince Kakashi. (Name) really wanted to be better friends with the boy, and she didn’t feel like giving up so soon. Picking back up the pace from where (Name) slowed down to catch up with Kakashi, the girl jogged up to the boy to walk in step with him once again.

        “Please?” (Name) pushed. “I’m sure it would be fun! After all, I—”

        “I said no.” Kakashi growled, stopping in his trail back home to turn and face the shorter girl. (Name) flinched at Kakashi’s refusal. His voice was cold and (Name)’s stomach felt as if there were icy snakes from within. “Leave me alone.” Kakashi huffed, briskly leaving the area to rid himself of (Name)’s company.

        The girl stood in the middle of the street, her eyes following Kakashi’s back. A heartbroken frown was on her face, and after a while the girl hung her head and began walking in the opposite direction to go home as well.

        Kakashi squeezed his visible eye shut and looked away from the restaurant, deciding to keep his stare in the opposite direction until he fully passed the diner.

        The silver-haired boy sat in the library, reading the same small book that he was working on finishing for the past week. He was leaned back in the wooden chair with his legs spread apart beneath the table. Kakashi liked to be in the library to read; it was quiet, and better than being outside where there was more background noise than necessary.

        His eyes scanned over the words on the page. The book was a romance that was about unrequited love—Kakashi was a bit uninterested in the book in the beginning, but the more that he had read it, the more he seemed to get tied into the plot. Kakashi normally wasn’t interested in such things, but the boy felt like the book gave him a piece of himself that was missing—although, Kakashi knew not what that certain piece was. The book provided him comfort, and Kakashi was determined to take his time to finish each chapter.

        The front door to the library dinged, and the owner of the shop greeted the customer.

        “Hi,” The customer greeted back. Kakashi’s eyes flickered up to the front door, and standing there was none other than (Name), the sunlight from outside illuminating the outline of the girl’s short figure. “I’d like to check out a book,” (Name) smiled at the shopkeeper, walking up to the front desk. Kakashi, from the back of the shop, watched her youthful features turn upwards in a warm smile towards the shopkeeper.

        The shopkeeper helped the girl make a library card and find a book to check out. Right afterwards, (Name)’s eyes flickered to the back of the shop where the reading tables were, and she noticed Kakashi.

        “Kakashi!” She grinned, heading over to the table.

        But Kakashi abruptly stood from his chair and walked right past her, his shoulder brushing past hers and briskly leaving the shop without any words.

        (Name) gasped at the suddenness of it, but she stood there staring after the boy with furrowed brows and a downturned mouth.

        Kakashi numbly unlocked the front door to his apartment and stepped inside, locking the door after himself. He kicked off his shoes and removed his headband before his flak jacket, setting them down on the floor in the living room in an almost robotic-like trance. The man headed down the hallway to his bedroom, peeling off his gloves as he did so and leaving them on the floor. Kakashi slowly walked into his bathroom and stopped when he saw his reflection in the corner of his eye.

        Turning to fully look at himself, Kakashi simply stood there. He saw the younger version of himself staring back at him, eyes cold and uncaring. Kakashi raised his hand and peeled off his mask, his full face being exposed to the delicate glass hanging on the wall above his sink.

        The red-cloud patterned cloak that (Name) wore on her back burned in the back of his mind.

        Kakashi turned away from the mirror. He couldn’t bear to look at himself, knowing that the reason that (Name) was wearing that cloak was because of him. Turning on the water of the shower, the man made the water as cold as it could get before stepping in and shutting the sliding glass door behind him.

        Later that day, Kakashi sat on the futon in his living room, his back pressed into the cushion and his eyes staring ahead of him towards the floor where the wooden tiling met with the wall, his expression blank.

        Kakashi poured himself a glass of water, downing all of it and then set the cup down in the sink, staring at the faucet.

        The black marker that the man held in his hand crossed off the days that have already passed on his calendar, sighing.

        Turning the faucet to the left, the water that burst from the pipe over the sink soon became excruciatingly hot after a few seconds. Kakashi began to scrub the dishes down, ridding them of the bacteria that accumulated before drying them off and putting them in the cabinet. The dishes that Kakashi forgot to wash a few nights ago were still sitting in the dishwasher, and the man opened the cabinet beneath the sink to pull out the detergent. After he put the detergent in the capsule of the dishwasher, he shut the door to it and turned it on.

        His room was in a state of disarray, surprisingly. Kakashi decided to clean it. The silver-headed man pulled the sheets tighter around his mattress and fixed the blankets and pillows. The trash bin by his bed was a bit full, so Kakashi took out the plastic bag from it and replaced it. Some of his clothes were thrown onto the floor, so Kakashi took them and hung them up in his closet.

        When the man went back to his bedside to give a pillow some extra fluff, he accidentally bumped into his tall nightstand, making the lamp swivel. Kakashi grabbed it before it could fall onto the floor, but something else that sat on that nightstand did instead. It fell to the wooden tiling with a ca-clink and Kakashi carefully set the lamp back down on the nightstand before squatting down to pick up what had fallen.

        A small headband that held a crossed out leaf insignia.

        Kakashi frowned. His eyes lingered on the headband for a long time.

        He found this headband near the base of a tree a ways away from the village with Minato. It was apparent that it had been thrown at the tree that it was found by, because there was an indentation in the bark as well as a dent in the corner of the metal piece on the headband. Kakashi's finger caressed the marks on the metal piece. It had scars, but the metal looked very shiny from many years of not being worn as opposed to Kakashi's own headband.

        Admittedly, Kakashi would take the headband with him on missions from time to time. He would leave it in his pocket where it would be safe from harm and where no one else could get to it. The reason being that Kakashi would bring it is because it made him feel a bit more secure whenever he was going on a dangerous mission, so the comfort was welcome, but bittersweet.

        It was (Name)'s old headband. When Kakashi first found it, he neglected it in the beginning, merely leaving it on the dining room table in his apartment for five months after (Name) left the village. But the more that the loneliness consumed Kakashi during that time, he eventually cracked, and decided to take the headband with him wherever he went for a long time after that.

        It took Kakashi a long time to realize, however, just how much he wished he treated (Name) better when the girl was present.

        The jonin was full of regret. Now, all he wanted now that he had seen (Name) again, was to redeem himself to her, and for her to be redeemed.

        Kakashi had to save (Name) somehow. Furrowing his brows in determination, Kakashi stood up and put the headband in his pocket. He was going to save that woman if it was the last thing he did.


	29. Solemnity

        Things seemed to be rolling incredibly fast to you.

        It seemed like days since Tobi revealed that he had an alias and since the last time you saw Kakashi. However, you found yourself not realizing that months had gone by, and the headaches were increasing in number. Did you go on that mission yet? Nothing seemed to be connecting... nothing seemed to make sense to you. What was happening to you? Why were you feeling this way?

        "(Name)..."

        Wetness began to spill onto your toes.

        "(Name)."

        The image of his silver hair and his single visible eye flashed in your mind. Kakashi—

        "(Name)!"

       Snapping out of your trance-like state, you blinked and sucked in a breath of surprise and realization. You had been pouring a glass of water, but even after the water began to spill over the cup and spread out onto the counter then drip onto your sandals, you still hadn't noticed. Were you really that out of it today?

        You looked over to Kisame, who was staring at you with a concerned look on his shark-like features. "Are you that upset? I thought you didn't like them."

        Confusion contorted your expression. "Huh?" You questioned. "Didn't like who?"

        Kisame furrowed his eyebrows with hesitance. "Are you joking?" He wondered, clearly dumbfounded. You swallowed. "Yes," you confirmed. "Who?"

        "Kakuzu and Hidan."

        You scoffed. "What about Kakuzu and Hidan?"

        Kisame blinked. "They died." At the look of shock on your face, he continued. "They died months ago, (Name). They were killed by Leaf Nin. I thought I told you about this."

        You looked down at the glass of water that was filled to the brim.

        How did you not know about this?

 

 

        Itachi and Kisame had left hours ago, and now you were sitting at the top of the tower on the ledge, staring out into the distance.

        You and those two knuckleheads had a good run, you supposed. Something in your mind should have clicked sooner when you made a point in your mind about how you hadn't seen Kakuzu or Hidan for a while, but it didn't. Hidan sure did give me something to remember him by, you thought, your fingers curling over your scarred thigh.

        "Something is on your mind."

        Footsteps neared you, and Tobi took a seat on the ledge beside you. "What about, I wonder?"

        You looked over at Tobi before looking back onto the horizon. "I'm just thinking about Kakuzu and Hidan." You revealed after a while, your hands resting on your thighs. Tobi hummed to your confession, leaning forward on his knees. He too looked over the horizon with you, his body mere inches away from your own. Your eyes strayed down to gaze at the top of his thigh as he spoke. "Those two fools had it coming to them, so I cannot say that I am necessarily surprised. With Hidan's arrogance and Kakuzu's impatience, they were only looking to be killed—and by leaf nin, no doubt. Hmph."

        "How did it happen?" You questioned the man, looking up at his mask.

        Tobi looked over at you. "You do not know?" He interrogated, and you thought that he might have been scrutinizing you from beneath his mask. Not wanting to incur another doctors checkup by the man himself, you quickly thought up a lie. "It's just that no one ever told me, is all."

        "A young leaf nin killed Hidan, and his friends ended Kakuzu." Tobi informed, but to Tobi it seemed like an afterthought.

        That spiral-y orange mask stared at you in silence for what seemed like several minutes. Then, the very thing that you wanted to avoid happened—only, it was a bit different than the last times. Tobi's gloved hand reached up and his fingers gently curled into the hair on the back on your head. A knot formed in your stomach. The tenderness of his touch stirred something in you and you found yourself not wanting to move away from his movements, even if you didn't want this in the first place. As gently as he could, Tobi added pressure to the spot that got hit on the branch during your interaction with Kakashi. You sucked in a small breath when he slowly tested your boundaries, and pain erupted throughout your skull. At that, Tobi let his fingers relinquish their pressure on your sensitive spot, but his hand remained in your hair.

        "You haven't been taking your medicine." Tobi was upset now.

        You rolled your eyes and childishly pushed his hand out of your hair. "I hate taking medicine."

        "I don't think you're grasping the reality of your situation, (Name)." Tobi growled, narrowing his eyes under his mask.

        "Who cares?"

        "You are sick!" Tobi hounded, pointing his finger at you. "If you had only been taking your medicine, you wouldn't be in this predicament of not even being able to remember how your former partners died, if you even remembered that they died at all!"

        You refused to look at the man. You weren't going to take the medicine.

        "Are you even listening to me?" Tobi questioned you. "(Name), look at me."

        You kept your chin turned from Tobi, frowning at the buildings below.

        "(Name), you are making silly decisions. Do you know how much of a fool you are making out of yourself? A normal person would accept the fact that they need to take medicine for a migraine. But you are beyond migraines, (Name). You are beyond them! You have a serious head injury, and the longer it goes untreated, the more it gets worse! An injury of your calibre can and will impair your judgement!"

        All of a sudden, Tobi pulled you to his chest. A gasp escaped you when you heard a plastic rattling noise coming from within his cloak. "You better be glad that I carry this around!" A pink and black pill that was being held between the fingers of his free hand came into your view. Shaking your head to try to avoid taking it, Tobi got agitated. A growl rumbled in his chest and he pushed you to the ground, pinning you so ghat you couldn't escape him. His hands reached around your jaw and you kept turning your head to avoid his hand, but the attempt was futile and he quickly had a tight grasp on your chin. Forcing it open with his fingers, he quickly pushed the pill into your mouth and covered your lips with his entire hand.

        "You should have taken your medicine when I gave it to you this morning. Now swallow it!" He demanded, not letting you get away from him no matter how hard you tried. You attempted to kick him off of you, but your knee appeared to miss him—which frustrated and confused you, since you seemed to have a straight shot at his back.

        The pill began to slide towards the back of your mouth. Instinctively panicking, you quickly swallowed it down—and then stopped struggling.

        Tobi knew that you swallowed the pill. Slowly removing his hands from your face, he climbed off of you and helped you sit up. "I apologize for being so rough with you, but you need to take the medicine, (Name)."

        You grumbled.

        Tobi was silent for a while, avoiding conversation.

        "(Name)," he began. "I'm not sorry for forcing you to take your medicine, but I do have something for you." Avoiding eye contact with the man, you were a bit taken aback when he gently thrusted something in your face. You looked down at it. It was his old green scarf.

        "I always remembered how you said you liked it last year. I have no reason to keep it anymore." Tobi explained, waiting for you to take the appendage. You didn't ever remember saying that, but that was a nice green scarf.

        You silently took it, splaying it out in your lap.

        Tobi sighed. "Itachi and Kisame have gone out a while ago."

        "Where did they go?" You questioned aloud, rubbing the green cloth between your fingers. Tobi answered not long after.

        "Itachi is going to fight his brother, Sasuke."

        You looked down at the ground below.

        "I'm leaving to follow them, and I'd like you to stay here. Especially since Konoha nin is expected to try and catch Sasuke."

         Your gaze shot up to meet Tobi's. Aw, what? You had to stay here? That's so... boring! You didn't want to stay in this tower, all by yourself with no one to talk to. ...It was a good thing that Tobi couldn't read your mind, because you would never admit that last part to anyone.

        "I won't be gone for long," Tobi informed as he stood up on his feet. "Just make sure not to break anything while I'm out." Before Tobi phased away, his fingers curled into your hair again.

        You wished that he wouldn't have stopped.

 

 

        "We're leaving the hideout," you informed Myu, who purred into your hand.

        "Why is that, (Name)-sama?" Myu questioned, rubbing her side along your leg. You picked the cat up and opened your bedroom window after hooking your kali stick to your belt. "I want to find the Konoha nin that Tobi mentioned. And because he told me not to leave the tower, heh."

        Myu sighed at you. The feline knew that you had a head injury. Even if she wanted to keep you from leaving the tower, she knew that you wouldn't listen—you never listened to what people told you to do. It wasn't in your nature. So the feline did not complain when you picked her up and leaped out of the tower with her in your arms.

        After about two hours of jumping through tree after tree, walking the trails and asking Myu questions about where the next set of directions were, the two of you finally made it into the Fire Country.

        "Where are they, Myu?" You questioned your summon, and the bicolored cat raised her nose to sniff the air.

        "Head to the east," Myu directed.

        A tenuous amount of time was taken up before Myu interrupted your train of thought. "Stop!" She hissed in your ear. "I can smell eight Konoha Ninja... a dog... and... I smell you, as well...?" She questioned.

        Your face took on a serious expression. "That's obvious, I'm right beside you."

        "No," Myu stopped you. "I smell something of yours with one of them."

        "What do you mean?" You pondered, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion.

        "It smells... woody." Myu sniffed the air some more. At that, your eyes widened in realization. Your bracelet.

        Quietly, you stalked through the tree branches until you saw the group of Konoha ninja. Among them was Kakashi, who was leading the group with another man and even a large white Inuzuka dog was among their numbers. They dawned white and red cloaks, but each still wore their regular attire beneath. You narrowed your eyes as you stalked over one of the branches on your hands and knees, much like your summon. "Alright Myu. You can leave now." You commanded.

        "Are you sure?" Myu questioned, concern all over her voice.

        "Yes," you confirmed. And just like that, Myu pooped out of sight. You focused your eyes back on the group through the leaves after that, stalking through the wooded area like an animal.

 

 

        Konoha 11, after being cheated in the race to get to Sasuke, were all heading back to Konoha with failure, shame, and disappointment hanging over their shoulders. Naruto was bearing the most pain of it all, with his promise to Sakura still haunting him. Sakura, with her desperation to find Sasuke, had sadness clouding her eyes. Kiba was exhausted and embarrassed about him missing Tobi several times with his getsuga technique. Shino was confused; Hinata was determined; Sai didn't know what to think. They lost Sasuke—again.

        But something was amiss. Even though they had just attempted to fight their way towards Sasuke, Tobi had left with him and Zetsu. What else could happen now? But Kakashi felt the energy. The silverette felt something catching up to his group of ninja.  
      
        "Kakashi." Yamato softly murmured, his eyes still trained on the trail ahead of him.

        "I know." The silverette whispered back. Subtly lifting his chin to sniff the air, his brows furrowed. He couldn't smell anything, but he felt someone lurking around. That must mean that with the way the wind was blowing, the person could be uphill. Kakashi's gloved hand subtly reached up from it's terse position at his side to his hip where he reached for a kunai. He suddenly became too aware of the tall trees that surrounded his team on all sides. If the enemy was up on one of those trees, then they couldn't see his hand moving under his cloak. Kakashi clenched his jaw. Fingers curling around the handle, the man quickly threw the weapon up at the assailant.

        Riiiip!

        Kakashi's sharingan focused on the figure standing at the very top of the tree, your feet far apart to maintain balance. His kunai had sliced through the neck of your Akatsuki cloak, missing your shoulder by mere centimeters. But then Kakashi's eye widened at who he had managed to almost strike.

        It was (Name).

        Kakashi's team and Yamato immediately froze at Kakashi's finding, their eyes flickering up to see the newcomer. Everyone but Team 7 had no clue who you were, which explained the frozen face of Hinata and Kiba, with Shino raising his hand, prepaired to order his bugs.

        Naruto was already in a bad mood, so this definitely wouldn't go down well. "Really?! Another one?!" Naruto growled. "HEY! LADY! COME DOWN HERE SO I CAN HIT YOU!"

        "Naruto!" Kakashi hissed. "Now isn't the time. Our team is exhausted. We can't rush into things!"

        Yamato kept his eyes trained on the girl up above, your (length) hair and long green scarf billowing in the soft breeze. With a short breath, Yamato nudged Kakashi slightly. "Should I cage her?"

        Kakashi, with mixed emotions, furrowed his brows and stared up at you. "No. Not yet..." The silver haired man parted his feet a little more as he began to sweat. "(Name)," he cautiously greeted you. "Why are you here?" From the point of view he was at, the top part of your Akatsuki cloak covered everything but your eyes and the top part of your head. Your eyes looked haunted.

        "I should ask you the same question," you said, loud enough so that the entire team could hear. Hinata activated her byakugan, steadying her hand over her lips and keeping her eyes trained on the enemy. "I heard you want to get to Sasuke, so I came here."

        Kakashi and Yamato shared a quick look before their focus trained back on your form.

        Naruto clenched his fists. "GIVE US SASUKE!" He shouted, stepping forward only to have his shoulder gripped by Sakura. "Naruto! Don't," the pink haired girl urged. Sai watched the exchange before looking back up.

        "I apologize," you ignored Naruto. "About last time. I never gave a proper greeting to you, Kakashi Hatake. It seemed as though my time was cut short too fast."

        Kakashi didn't say anything. "I really shouldn't be here," you continued. "I ignored the orders given to me just to come and see you and your Team 7. But I guess I got a little more than expected, huh?"

        The copy-cat's eyes clouded in confusion as his brows furrowed. "Why would you want to come and see me and my team?" Muscles tensing, the fingers that were wrapped around a ready kunai numbed.

        Your eyelids drooped. "You have something of mine," she drawled, "and I want it back."

        That's all? No, that couldn't be it. Kakashi shook his head. She isn't (Name) anymore. She's an Akatsuki member. Why would I think something so ludicrous? To think that that's all she wants? Wake up, Kakashi.

        Yamato's eyes locked onto Kakashi's as shadows formed under them. Yamato watched the movement of Kakashi's cloak as he reached into his front pocket. You watched Kakashi like a hawk as he reached out, his hand outstretched.

        Your bracelet.

        Naruto and everyone else stared you down as you smoothly hopped from the top of the tree several feet up and levitated down to the ground, the loose-fitting Akatsuki cloak billowing in the breeze and Tobi's long green scarf trailing after you. Everyone's muscles tensed when you barely landed on the tips of your toes several feet away from the team. 

        Kakashi gazed at his old friend. How could a sweet little girl, whom invited Rin to her home for sleepovers, who constantly chatted Obito up, who invited Kakashi to breakfast, lunch, and dinner most of the time, who hugged Kakashi to death until he agreed to be her friend, become... This stranger, a person that joined the Akatsuki, a terrorist group whose main goal is to capture all of the Jinchuuriki? Kakashi fought off the urge to cry. He missed you during all those years. The aching pain that he felt in his chest whenever he thought of you was unbearable. He missed you. He missed you, he missed you, he missed you. The scarred headband that you left behind was still in Kakashi's bedroom, sitting right beside the photo of the nonexistent Team Minato. Kakashi's lip quivered under his mask, but he swallowed down his tears. The only hint of Kakashi's urge to cry was shown through his furrowed brows and the whites of his eyes slowly turning bloodshot.

        Team 7 and yourself saw it.

        Everyone but Kakashi got into their fighting stances when you reached out your hand, ready to take back your very important item. Kakashi followed your lead, stretching out his arm with the bracelet resting on the palm of his hand. You kept a guarded stance and watched out for the team just in case they decided to do anything funny. Slowly shuffling towards Kakashi, you looked back over to the silver haired man and locked eyes with him as you cautiously came towards them.

        "Why did you have to go?" Kakashi questioned once you came closer. You didn't answer as your eyes drifted away from Kakashi's and towards your bracelet. Obito flickered across your mind when you looked at it.

        Now there was only three feet separating you from Kakashi. Two feet... one foot... your fingers only barely grazed over the precious item before Kakashi had a vice-like grip on your smaller, more feminine hand. You inwardly cursed at your dumb idea to come and fetch the bracelet yourself.

        The entire team immediately sprung into action when Kakashi tugged (Name) towards him and bent at the knees before thrusting his fist into your gut. Yamato began to shout orders at the young teenagers. "Kiba! Shino! Sai! Go to the village to fill them in on the report of our mission!"

        "But Yamato—" Kiba began to complain. Yamato gave the scary face. "NOW!"

        Sai gave one last lingering glance over to you, Kakashi, and his teammates before following Shino and Kiba back to the village. Hinata began to figdet a little bit without her team members. Yamato turned to the heiress with a stern look in his eyes. "Hinata, if she disappears, you'll be the one to search for her and be backup. Do you understand?"

    Hinata gulped and reactivated her byakugan that had deactivated in surprise when Kakashi hit you. "I understand!" She determinedly accepted, leaping away from the scene to stand back and train her byakugan on the Akatsuki member.

        But then Yamato became all too aware of Naruto going to engage in the fighting between Kakashi and yourself.

        "Naruto, stop! You can't go in yet!" Yamato shouted, holding the blond back. Naruto growled and pulled himself from Yamato's arms. Yamato sighed at the boy. "In fact, Naruto, I need you to be backup only. Let Kakashi and (Name) fight this out. If Kakashi can't defeat her..." Naruto interrupted with a frustrated scream and kicked one of the nearby trees. He just wanted to do something that made a difference.

        Kakashi's fist met with your gut, and you groaned before slamming your fist into the side of Kakashi's head, splitting the skin above his brow. Kakashi grunted and went to grasp your wrist, but you had already slipped away from him. Kakashi's desperate eyes roamed around to find you, and just as he turned his head, the front of your foot slammed into his cheek in a midair roundhouse. Kakashi cursed and returned the favor by grasping tightly onto your ankle and tugging you to the hard, earthy ground.

    "You used to be better than this!" Kakashi shouted as he punched the corner of the struggling Akatsuki member's mouth. "What happened to you?!" Kakashi grunted, throwing another punch at your cheekbone. You growled and pulled your knee up to your chest before repeatedly kicking Kakashi in the gut.

        "SHUT UP!" You yelled, forcefully kneeing Kakashi in the side to get him off of her. You were holding back on your kekkei genkai. If you were going to really fight Kakashi, you needed to escape this trail that went through the forest. Quickly scanning the small group of Konoha nin, you prepared to jump and then sprang tons of feet into the air, high enough to be the size of Kakashi's fingernail from his spot on the ground. Wind whipped through your hair and clothes, the current of air tugging you in the direction of a barren, sandy field not too far away.

        "SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" Naruto shouted, grabbing Hinata's wrist and tugging her along. "Hinata, watch out for her!" He begged. Hinata's eyes watched you like a hawk from her spot as the Hyuuga began to run alongside Sakura, Yamato and Naruto. Kakashi kept an eye on the Akatsuki member's movements from the trees as he leaped from treetop to treetop. The wind slapped against his fresh bleeding wounds, making the ninja wince. When we were younger, (Name) wasn't as strong. She didn't even know what her nature was, much less a kekkei genkai. From the looks of it, with the way she's treating her abilities, she's figured it out, and she's gotten better at fighting. Kakashi began to leap faster. He had to keep a tab on you.

        I'm going to bring her home! Kakashi hardened his gaze.

        When you landed on the sandy flooring of the barren area, you immediately readied your to see the others again. They were going to play fair this time. Kakashi was, of course, the first person to show up as he jumped down from the trees and landed hard on his feet. His eyes met yours and for the briefest moment, you saw regret in his eyes. He must have seen something in your eyes, too. But what was it? Kakashi tightened his fist and un-tightened it a few times.

        "So you found your kekkei genkai?" Kakashi drawled, subtly catching his breath. He didn't want to appear breathless, lest you get an idea. You popped your index finger and thumb with your other hand. "I did." You simply answered. Kakashi let out a breath. "Would you mind telling me what it is?" Kakashi rhetorically requested, to which you scoffed at.

        "You're even more foolish than I remember."

        "You're wrong. I'm not a foolish kid anymore. I've grown up, (Name). Have you?"

        You smirked. "Most definitely." And then you leaped at Kakashi, aiming to throw a punch at his throat. Kakashi grasped your elbow and used his other hand to try and get a good hit on your stomach. You grasped his fist with your free one, to which the two's arms flexed to try and get the dominant side of the fight. You grunted, lifting up your foot to land a heavy jab into his gut.

        "You've gotten taller," you exhaled as you kicked him again, this time using your abnormal strength. Kakashi spat up phlegm at the heavy kicks, the substance coating the side of his mouth under his mask and the sunlight giving the wet spot a sheen on the thin black fabric. "Have you been using that sharingan well?" You kicked Kakashi's feet out from under him. 

        Kakashi growled and made a hand sign. A shadow clone appeared from a cloud of smoke behind you and you gasped, for you were suddenly stuck in the clone's arms, unable to escape. "Damn it," you  cursed. Kakashi leaped back to his feet and formed another hand sign, grasping his wrist and parting his feet.

        "Chidori!"

        Blue and white light blinded your vision which made you see black spots. Escapeescapeescapeescapeescapeescape, your mind screamed. Damn, why hadn't I thought to make a shadow clone before? A shadow clone could be in my place right now! Dammit dammit dammitohdammitdammitdammit! Kakashi charged at you, and since you were temporarily blind, the only option that you had was to jump away and pull the shadow clone with you. Just as you jumped, the chidori landed on your previously wounded thigh instead of your body like Kakashi had originally intended. The shadow clone burst into a cloud of smoke and you landed shoulder-first onto the sandy flooring, grasping tightly onto your thigh. That area of your cloak was completely gone now, only revealing that single leg and even the shredded up skin of your thigh. The blood oozed out of the wound when you applied pressure.

        "I'm taking you back to Konoha," Kakashi reminded himself out loud, letting his chidori whizz away.

        Just as he took a step forward, you yelled, "NO! Lightning Release: False Darkness!" Making the proper hand seals, you stumbled away from Kakashi. Lightning burst from your mouth and shot towards Kakashi, to which he pulled up a mud wall as defense.

        Preoccupied with trying to hurt Kakashi, you didn't notice Sakura landing a punch between your shoulder blades. A gasp escaped your mouth as you cut off the jutsu, the lightning disappearing in the air as you whirled around to roundhouse the pink haired girl. Hinata, whom just arrived, stayed by the trees and observed the fight. Yamato arrived moments later beside her, with Naruto following not too far behind.

        "She's getting stronger! The best of her strength is stored away; someone needs to wear her out." Hinata mumbled. Yamato nodded, understanding completely. The man decided that he'd stay behind with Hinata to defend her if need be.

        "Oof!" Sakura grunted when your foot connected with her side. Sakura picked herself back up and punched your shoulder with her immense power. Immediately, the Akatsuki member's eyes darkened. You only stumbled back a foot to the strike, and this made Sakura gasp.

        "I see," you lowly said as Sakura took a couple steps back. "You inherited Tsunade's monster strength. But you're not the only one with strength!" Not holding back anymore, you charged and punched Sakura in the solar plexus, making the teenager fly back and crash a couple meters away against the hard, dusty ground.

        "SAKURA!" Naruto shouted, immediately wanting vengeance. Naruto ran forward and made a hand seal.

        "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" He shouted, grinning as it was now his time to beat the daylights out of this woman for hurting Sakura. Your expression hardened as you arched her brows and stuck out your lower lip, glaring at Naruto. At least fifty shadow clones appeared from clouds of smoke all around the woman and your crazed eyes scanned over all of them. "Find out which one is me!" The Naruto's chanted as they all lunged.

        "Fine!" You scowled as you did just that—kicking and punching and slamming and throwing—poof, poof, poof, poof, poof, poof, poof, poof, poof. Clone after clone disappeared to your superior strength, and it was just then that the real Naruto formed...

        "RASENGAN!"

        CRASH! The ground beneath Naruto crumbled to pieces with the force of his attack. Proud of himself, Naruto stood back up and opened his eyes. "What!?" Naruto complained—the only thing that was destroyed was a mangled and torn-to-pieces Akatsuki cloak decorated in white clouds. "Where did she go!?"

        "Up there!" Hinata warned, gesturing to the sky above the field. Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi all looked up to see yourself levitating several feet above in the sky, upside-down with your hair and scarf hanging appropriately. Arms crossed and a scowl on your face, you huffed.

        "I'm too fast for you. That's the only reason why you're losing."

        "That may be so, but we aren't going to lose!" Sakura shouted to the heavens, her angry eyes trained on you.

        "YEAH!" Naruto agreed. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm NOT going to be beaten another time today, believe it!"

        Kakashi huffed, panting a bit as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Naruto, come here. You too, Sakura." Sakura did as he ordered, with Naruto letting his eyes stare at you with determination before heading over to his sensei. Kakashi moved towards them, peeking over to yourself every now and then as he spoke. "Okay, here's the plan to defeat (Name). You see that pole fastened on her hip, Naruto, Sakura?" Both of the students' eyes flickered up to see your kali stick, like it's always been, locked onto your hip. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei." They answered.

        "Good. She'll come back down in a minute, so you need to make sure this follows through. When she comes down, Naruto—you need to distract her with more shadow clones. While you do that, you—Sakura, you're going to sneak through the mass of shadow clones and knock the pole off of her. Naruto, your shadow clones will discreetly pass the stick through the croud and pass it to me."

        "And what are you going to do, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura questioned.

        Kakashi gripped Sakura's shoulder. "Just do as I said, Team 7. Make sure nothing happens!"

        "Alright!" Naruto grinned, spinning around to taunt you, who had rolled your eyes during the small "conference" that Kakashi made up not only moments before. "So you guys are done with your get-together?" You taunted back.

        Naruto blushed. "It wasn't—whatever! I'm gonna kick your butt, Akatsuki! Believe it!" He pointed at you before leaping in the air. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He shouted, and hundreds of clones appeared around the woman midair. You whistled at the sight of so many. The woman landed back on the ground and began to dissipate each and every clone that attacked her, panting all the while.

        "Her energy is draining with how much she attacks," Hinata noted, "they're wearing her down!"

        Yamato grinned at the news. “They'll win. They have to.”

        "So you met Sasori, I'm guessing?" You absentmindedly began, starting up a conversation as you kicked the clone's asses. One clone said, "Yeah, and Sakura kicked his ass!"

        "Damn it, Sasori," you groaned under your breath. "What about Kakuzu, Hidan!" She yelled.

        "Kakuzu and Hidan got what was comin' to them when they killed Asuma-sensei!"

        Everything stopped as you processed what Naruto just said.

        Hidan and Kakuzu killed Asuma? You never heard this information, much less heard it get brought up. All that she was informed of was that Naruto killed Kakuzu and Hidan was killed by another Konoha ninja that you forgot the name of. Flashbacks of Asuma suddenly invaded your mind and your lips parted. That was your mistake—getting distracted. You failed to notice the absence of your pole that usually rested on your hip, instead continuing to fend off your assailants. This was beginning to get annoying, and even more so frustrating.

        A growl left your throat the more that you were getting hit by the idiot. "Damn it!" You cursed out loud, momentarily stunning Naruto for only a second. The only way that you could escape from him was by making a barrier. Before Naruto could hit you again, you made a hand seal. "Lightning Release: Plasma Ball!"

        A forcefield of electricity surrounded you as you squatted on your knees, the movement sending a tremor through your leg at the reminder that you had a deep wound on her thigh. Blood coated your leg and stained your Akatsuki pants. The blood crusted under your nails and covered your hand.

        BOOM! A clone punched the plasma ball and at the contact you grunted as it was getting increasingly difficult to keep the forcefield up. Initially, you had thought to make this forcefield so that you could get your breath back. Another clone hit the ball, and another, and another. The movements depleted your energy, weakening you with every hit. Each one felt like a shockwave to your body and you couldn't tell if the pain was real or not. A groan escaped you; you could feel yourself starting to pass out. With the steady loss of blood and the increasing loss of chakra, you felt as though you weren't going to make it this time around.

        No. I need to escape! You puffed out your cheeks and used some of the last bit of your chakra to expand the plasma ball forcefield until it exploded. All of the clones poofed and you saw this as her chance.

        "You're not getting away, (Name)!" Kakashi said as he slid across the ground to knock you off your feet with your own weapon. A gasp escaped you as a tremor went through her body. You groaned, quickly rolling over before Sakura could hit you.

        "You've gotten on my last nerve!" You shouted, whipping out a kunai and incorporating your lightning release through it. Leaping out of Kakashi's blast, you kicked Sakura's feet out from under her. "Uwah!" Sakura squeaked out of shock, only to gasp when you pinned her down by the throat. "Die!" You shouted, aiming to stab Sakura in the heart with her knife.

        But it didn't happen, for Kakashi's hands, illuminated by one of his lightning-release techniques, grabbed the front of your face from behind and pressed his palms into your eyes. You screamed, hissing and clawing at Kakashi and writhing in agony as you were dragged off of Sakura.

        "HINATA!" Kakashi cued, shouting at the girl to come and help. The heiress charged forward, readying her flattened palm. Kakashi pinned you to his chest by holding you under the arms with his own, bracing himself for the impending attack. Just as Hinata came close enough, the now blinded you clenched your fists and arched up your knee, kicking Hinata in the gut so hard that she was sent flying back a few feet before Naruto caught her.

        "YOU...! Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto questioned her, worry all over his tone for the girl as he helped support her weight. "I'm fine," Hinata shook him off.

        "Hinata, do it!" Kakashi urged, jerking you in his arms. You began to get restless and started fighting back against Kakashi's tight hold on you. Your and his feet were shuffling on the dry, cracked ground for dominance in the battle. "Hinata!"

        Said girl shook off the pain in her stomach and braced herself again, charging forward once more and readying her left hand, flattening it and getting ready to strike. Right as Hinata came close again you arched the same leg—the uninjured one—and thrust out your heel to hurt Hinata again. But the heiress saw this coming and jerked out of the way, flattening her right hand instead to strike at you in the gut. Phlegm flew out of your mouth and the burnt, blackened and bloodied skin around your eyes scrunched together just barely. The sound of you wheezing and losing your breath under the impact shook Kakashi as well; he also lost his breath, but he was not affected by the blow that Hinata dealt since you were his human meat shield.

        As soon as Hinata struck you, the woman went limp in Kakashi's locked hold and Kakashi quickly moved to hold all of your weight in the arm-lock that he had you in. "Kakashi-sensei, did I hurt you?" Hinata worriedly wondered, observing Kakashi's labored breathing and hunched back. Kakashi shook his head. "No, you didn't hurt me, Hinata." He breathed deeply, "I'm fine. What exactly did you do to her?”

        ”I made it so that she would be passed out for about an entire day… She should wake up around the time that the twenty-four hour mark ends, Kakashi-sensei.”

        The man nodded at Hinata’s job well done.

        Sakura and Naruto finally asked the question that was bothering them. "Who is she, Kakashi-sensei?"

        Yamato came forward from the treeline and ran over to the group. "I saw everything that happened," He panted. "I was waiting for a chance to cage her but it looked as if you guys had everything under control." Kakashi nodded at Yamato, still holding you from under the arms while your back was pressed into his chest and your feet were sagging on the ground.

        "She's a girl that I knew a long time ago. I'll explain everything on the way back to Konoha." And with that, Kakashi turned you around and bent at the knees, moving to throw you over his shoulder.

        He would have to convince Tsunade to keep you alive after this.


	30. Hospice

        When Kakashi brought you to the gates of Konoha, almost immediate chaos through the guards ensued—then eventually word gave way to the civilians. Kakashi ordered his team and Hinata to leave the scene, but Tsunade soon arrived and demanded to know the meaning of the situation.

        "Please, Hokage-sama," Kakashi began to the woman in charge. "Don't arrest her."

        Yamato's head snapped over to stare at the man beside him in disbelief, stepping away from Kakashi to further show his surprise.

        "'Don't arrest her'?!" Tsunade gasped at Kakashi's incredulous plea. "She's a member of the Akatsuki! She's done more harm than good and she needs to be dealt with appropriately, just like an S-Rank should!" Tsunade spread her feet apart and placed her hands on her hips, that signature stance of hers letting everyone know that she was no-play and all seriousness.

        Kakashi held your unconscious form in a bridal carry, the upper portion of your face dripping with blood that was seeping into your (color) hair and crusting it. The wound in your thigh was also dripping with the scarlet liquid, staining your blue Akatsuki trousers red. All of the ninja that were surrounding Kakashi were staring right at you, holding their kunais and leaving no room to let their guard down around you.

        The Hatake slowly knelt down onto one of his knees, holding his arms up horizontally as if to propose you to Tsunade. As a result of the movement, the fingertips of your left hand and the tips of your shoes brushed against the wooden panels that lined the ground. The Hokage furrowed her brows and her lips parted at the action, confusion slowly creeping into her mind. "Please, Hokage-sama," Kakashi pleaded again. "I promise that she will be transformed into a civilized ninja."

        Tsunade huffed. "That's not enough, Hatake! She needs more than that!"

        "Hokage-sama, (Name) means a lot to me..." He quickly and quietly said underneath his mask. "I am not saying that what she did was good. They were horrible, inexplicable deeds. But if you just keep her out of jail—I will owe you a great debt, Hokage-sama."

        Tsunade stared Kakashi down, her amber eyes narrowing as Kakashi lowered his head to show his genuity for a very long time.

        "You're not considering this, are you, Hokage-sama!?" One ninja spoke, waving his hands at your dangling figure. Yamato didn't take a single step back from his previous after Kakashi's pleas, however. They were partners, and if Kakashi wanted you to avoid jail... then Yamato had to deal with it.

        "Hush just a moment!" Tsunade huffed. "I'm thinking!"

        Kakashi looked up at the Hokage, hope hugging his heart and his mind.

        Tsunade, after what seemed like a thousand years, shook her head and crossed her arms. "Kakashi... I know that you care for (Name), just like how Naruto does for Sasuke. However, even if I let her avoid jail, she's going to have to atone for her actions!"

        Kakashi lowered his arms and held you closer to his chest. "I understand, Hokage-sama. I just want to know what you're planning for her."

        Furrowing her brows again and tapping her left cheek with her polished finger, Tsunade stared at your bloody face for a few seconds. "For one, we can't leave her lying around, and we can't keep her in jail for now. I suppose... she'll have to be hospitalized."

        Rounds of gasps, comments, and shouts circulated the Hatake, Yamato, and Tsunade. No one could believe that the Hokage was willing to give this Akatsuki member a second chance.

        Kakashi's heart soared at this.

        "But, Kakashi!" Tsunade continued. "If I let her stay here, you will be the one to care for her. You will house her, you will educate her, and you will be responsible for any of her actions if they are detrimental to the village or the people of Konoha! And after she's done in the hospital, her mind will be searched, and make that a promise!"

 

 

        The instant throbbing of your head was the first thing that you felt when you were pulled from your slumber.

        Then, it was the numb feeling around your eyes when you furrowed your eyebrows and tried to open your eyelids.

        In fact, the entire area around your eyes felt quite numb. However, the more you tried to blink and flex the muscles by furrowing, raising, and moving your eyebrows around made a dull stinging pain shock you. Still bleary from waking up, you slowly rolled your head back and forth, your cheeks slapping onto the pillow beneath you to try and remember the entire situation, but... you couldn't. You couldn't remember talking to Kisame--however long ago that was--you couldn't remember having Tobi make you take your medicine or sneaking out of the tower.

        As far as you knew, you simply woke up in a different place.

        Waking up a little more, you suddenly became aware of the tightness around your eyes. A familiar tightness that sparked your panicked curiosity and made your hand sloppily reach up to touch the bandages around your eyes with your fingertips. With that realization, your lips parted as you remembered fragments of the past events, your chest freezing and your fingers tightening around the sheets over your body.

        Where am I?

        Your fingers fiddled, trying to feel around for anything. You jumped slightly when you felt a cord, a stinging sensation sparking in between your forearm and bicep when you tried to twist it. You sucked in a breath, deciding not to touch the cord anymore. It was just so hard to find things that you couldn't see with your own eyes. Okay, from what I've gathered... I'm sitting in a very uncomfortable bed. There's a thin sheet over me and there's something plugged up into my arm, I'm guessing an IV. My eyes are bandaged and there's a beeping machine by the bed. The beeping got louder and more faster when you began to panic. I need to get back to the tower. I need to get out of here!

        Quickly, you sat up in the bed but immediately cried out at the searing pain in your thigh. A dry sob left you as you clutched the heavily bandaged wound, your fingers achingly curling into the skin. A wet warmness suddenly pooled under your palm followed by the screaming pain of your skin tearing. The wound opened back up from your suddenness--this was the second time that you were wounded in the same place, and the pain felt unbearable.

        The sound of a door opening made your body freeze and tense up incredibly, the sudden action making your heart thump even faster and your lips part in uneasiness. Feet were clacking against the floor of the unknown room in an almost rushed pace towards the bed that you lied on. As the person leaned on the mattress a bit to grab something - presumably - the smell of this person's incense and lemon-scented clothes invaded your nose. That must be what it smelt like inside their home.

        "You're awake," the unknown person said, who sounded like a woman once you heard her speak. "...How are you feeling?" Her voice was strained, as if she was forcing herself to ask you that question. Her weight on the bed vanished, and she took a step back away from the mattress. Rustling came from her end and she opened up a drawer and shuffling noises ensued.

        Ignoring her false concern, you ground out a growl that resonated through your chest. "Where am I?" Your fingers curled into the bedsheets, your back hunched over in your sitting-up position. Your lips curled into a dangerous frown, and your head began to throb in pain once again as you were stressed out.

        For a while, the nurse was silent. Then, she did something before saying, "You're at the Konohagakure Hospital."

        The forefinger of your left hand twitched.

        The nurse prepared to unwrap the bandages around your eyes, setting the new wrap of gauze down onto the mattress beside your left thigh along with a pair of scissors and medical tape. The methodical rhythm of the heart monitor near the bedpost calmed down, but it was still going faster than normal - something that the nurse was well aware of.

        The Konohagakure Hospice.

        "I'm about to change your bandages, ma'am. Your leg wound has opened, and the bandages around your eyes are dirty." Her fingertips reached for the bloodied bandages wrapped around your head. As she began to untie them, the tightness wrapped around the numb skin began to loosen up. The nurse then reached for a jar of antibiotic cream and opened it, the cap being pulled off with a crisp popping noise. The nurse dipped two fingers into the cream before turning back to you.

        "I'm going to be touching your eyes. Is that okay?" She asked. It didn't matter what your answer was, though--because even if you didn't want her to, she'd touch you anyways. That was not okay to you.

        You only grumbled in response, though.

        Quickly, before she put the cream on your skin, she cleaned up the burnt skin. Then, her careful, experienced fingers gently rubbed the antibiotic cream over the blackened and yellowed flesh around your eyes. It felt odd - the skin was numb, but you could still vaguely feel her fingers and the coldness of the cream being rubbed on your injury. After she was done, the nurse took some fresh bandages and wrapped them around your eyes again.

        Next was your leg.

        Grabbing the scissors on the table next to her, the nurse's fingers curled underneath the hem of your hospital gown.

        Sucking in a sharp breath through your nose, your hands quickly found themselves clumsily grabbing onto the nurse's shoulders and thrust her body away from you. She fell off the side of the bed and smacked into the wall with a yelp of surprise. For extra measure, you grabbed the hem of your gown and made a point of pushing it back down over your legs.

        "You didn't ask permission, lady."

        Huffing, the nurse straightened herself out before snatching the scissors off the floor, which had fallen when she was pushed by you. There was no way she would leave a weapon in a room occupied by a dangerous Akatsuki member. Leaving the antibiotic cream treatment and the bandages on the table beside you, the nurse hurriedly left the room.

        Served her right, you thought with that still angry frown on your lips.

        But not too long after, the door opened once again, and the bustling noise of doctors walking around outside infiltrated the sanctity of your room for a brief moment before the door shut.

        "(Name), the Akatsuki member." A different voice said. It was firm and very feminine, but strong and wise at the same time. The woman's heels clacked along the tile flooring as she neared your bedside. "You better be lucky that I was persuaded to let you stay here."

        You laughed at her.

        "You might find this funny now, but wait until you see what's going to happen to you once you're out of this place, Akatsuki." The woman taunted, trying to get you to shut up. You pressed your lips together and made that angry frown again. "That's right," the woman huffed.

        "I am Lady Tsunade, the Hokage of Konohagakure, and Kakashi Hatake spent a week trying to convince me to let you keep your freedom, I hope you know." Tsunade revealed. You perked up a little bit at hearing that the Hokage was the one who was speaking to you. At least it was someone intelligent, and not just a nurse who had to treat you since that was her job.

        "I was out for a week?" You mumbled, still apprehensive and not daring to let your guard down. Tsunade nodded, even though you could not see it.

        "Yes. Mainly because I didn't know what to do with you while I considered Kakashi's statements." Tsunade sighed. "He said that you seemed like a... redeemable character. He wants to help turn you around. 'Fix' you. So long as you're a good girl, at least." Tsunade chuckled to herself. "But I'm smart. I'm agreeing to let Kakashi do what he will with you, but there is no way that I'm going to keep you on the same level with all of the other patients in this hospital. So, you're being quarantined away from everyone else. This level is very guarded with ninja, so don't think that you can escape easily." Tsunade threatened, crossing her arms. Her blond hair swayed with the movement, and she looked over at the original nurse that was treating you, along with an extra nurse that came in with Tsunade as backup. Tsunade was the backup to the backup, since Tsunade was Tsunade.

        "Also, there are some people that are wanting to visit you." Tsunade continued. "I'm not surprised, considering how you lived here before you went rogue. You made some friends, I heard," Tsunade commented to herself, looking you over with her amber eyes.

        You turned your head away from the direction that Tsunade's voice was coming from as you were pushed back onto the bed by one of the nurses. They strapped a mask over your nose and mouth and instructed you to take deep breaths in and out.

        "It's to keep you from feeling the pain in your leg," One of them said. Lie - it was to calm you down and to keep you from attacking them again. But you didn't realize this, because the nitrous oxide was beginning to cloud your senses. They weren't dosing you with too much so that you would fall asleep - only enough so that your heart rate could slow down since it was going abnormally fast.

        Your thigh was lifted up and the bandages were removed with a pair of scissors. They applied cream onto the burnt flesh that was there because of Kakashi's chidori - the gas was working so well that you couldn't even feel the nurse's fingers on your wound. Eyes blinking tantalizingly slow, Tsunade watched as you were slipping in and out of reality within the effects of the gas.

        "She didn't even fight the gas," Tsunade observed. "At least she won't be hurting anyone now. ...Why wasn't she on it beforehand?" Tsunade questioned the nurses, placing her fists on her hips in a demanding gesture. The nurses looked at each other, "Well, we thought that the painkillers would be enough to slow her down," one of them answered.

        Tsunade huffed and opened up the blinds to the window on the wall that overlooked the village. "Well, just keep her on this nitrous oxide treatment for the rest of the time that she's here in this hospital. And run some x-rays and tests on her. If she's in anymore pain then it needs to be dealt with immediately!"

        With a 'yes Lady Tsunade-sama,' Tsunade whirled around and left your hospital room with the door shutting loudly behind her. Tsunade wasn't happy about letting you stay safe in the village, but something in her knew that you could be redeemed as well, no matter how much she didn't like the thought of keeping an Akatsuki member in her hospital.

        After all, Kakashi had begged Tsunade to keep you out of jail.

 

 

        It was a full week after your hospitilization, and Kakashi was feeling knots in his stomach. He ached to see you.

        Kakashi visited the hospital no more than two days after your admittance, and they told him that within five days, you'd be ready to have visitors. So as soon as he woke up this morning, Kakashi sped over to the local flower shop, grabbed an arrangement of flowers, and sped over to the hospital.

        "What's her status?" He questioned the doctor on your floor. Kakashi wanted to know the full extent of your injuries before seeing you so that he wouldn't make any mistakes. The doctor that he spoke to was reading something on his clipboard, but he looked up at Kakashi anyways and answered the silver headed man's inquiry.

        "Well, she has second and near-to third-degree burns on the area around her eyes and on the mid to upper left portion of her thigh. It appeared as though there was already trauma and tissue damage in that exact place from an old slice wound, so your chidori really messed that part of her thigh up, Mr. Hatake."

        Kakashi cringed a little bit at the information. That didn't help him feel better.

        "Secondly, we were ordered by Lady Tsunade to run scans on her. What we found may be a little disheartening, so just brace yourself," The doctor looked hard at Kakashi, who sucked in a quiet breath in anticipation.

        "We ran a scan on (Name). We found some evidence of a past skull fracture in the back of her head on the temporal part of her skull, along with a more recent brain trauma that appears to have happened less than a few months ago on the parietal side of her skull, which is right here." The doctor tapped the area on the very back to top of his head. "After seeing the evidence of these fractures in her x-rays, we did some brain scans on her and it seems that a part of her brain has shrunk, just a very tiny bit. But that tiny bit is enough to give her symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease, Mr. Hatake. We asked her questions to see what her symptoms were, and while she doesn't have Alzheimer's Disease, she will eventually develop it if her injuries go untreated. Now, while her fractures are being treated very carefully by my nurses, (Name) will have to take medication for her symptoms. The skull fracture that she seems to have gotten a long time ago has gone untreated, and that's only deteriorated her mental health. Must have been why she decided to leave Konoha." The doctor chuckled at his own twisted humor.

        Kakashi was taking all of this in too quickly. "Wait, slow down." Kakashi took a breath. "You mean to tell me, that a skull fracture is the reason why (Name) left all those years ago?" He furrowed his brows at the doctor. This man was speaking a foreign language to him, but Kakashi tried his best to listen closely else he get lost during the mass amount of information.

        The doctor rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Well, maybe not. She could have left for her own reasons, but head injuries that go untreated lead to unfortunate symptoms such as memory loss, poor judgement, and lack of cognitive skills. I'm merely making a theory that her poor judgement - which she certainly has - probably made her leave the village so quickly, even though she had no home outside of this place and this village was as good as it was going to get for her. I can't see why she would want to leave. On top of that, that's also probably why she joined the Akatsuki... unfortunately. (Name) told us that she's been experiencing increasing memory loss for several months to at least a year and a half, along with poor cognitive skills, so I'm just letting you know this since Tsunade-sama said that you'd be the one who's going to take care of her once she gets out of here."

        Kakashi heaved a sigh and rubbed his face with his gloved hands. All of this newfound information was making his head hurt. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. All Kakashi wanted was the hope that (Name)'s wounds wouldn't be too terrible - but now he has to acknowledge the fact that (Name) also has brain trauma.

        It upset him immensely.

        "Well, which room is hers? The receptionist at the front desk said that (Name) was open for visitors today." Kakashi asked the doctor, to which the man pointed to the stairs. "(Name) is on the fifth floor in the quarantine area in room 409. Make sure not to talk to loudly around her, though. She's being treated for her trauma so any loud noise can incur a headache."

        This doctor was really throwing all of it onto Kakashi, wasn't he?

        Kakashi sighed and looked down at his little bouquet of purple crocuses, yellow daffodils, and cranberry-colored tulips. He thought that the colors were nice, so maybe you would to.

        Maybe.

        If you weren't too mad, he hoped.

        As he headed up the stairs and eventually made his way up to your floor, Kakashi thought about what he would say to you and how you would react to him. He hoped that you wouldn't be screaming or yelling, especially since that would hurt your head. As his mind raced over all of the different possibilities, his feet brought him to your door, the room number engraved within the metal.

        409.

        Trying to hype himself up so that he wasn't so nervous, his gloved hand reached for the doorknob and he pushed open your door.

        The staff obviously tried to make the room a little more comforting for you so that you could possibly be seduced into a conciliated version of yourself, seeing as the curtains were drawn to keep sunlight from coming in. A sweet-smelling candle was lit at your bedside along with several other regular candles lining the room. Even though they were mere candles, the room was lit quite nicely. Apparently, Kakashi thought as his eyes trailed up to your face, they even put a mask over your nose and mouth so that you could breathe in laughing gas.

        The staff were trying their hardest, and Kakashi couldn't help but think that there was a reason why.

        But suddenly, a smell invaded his nose, and he found himself looking around the room to find the source of it.

        "Meow."

        Kakashi whipped his head to look up at the shelf nearest to the ceiling. Atop it was a very fat cat that was so fluffy, his paws were concealed underneath all of his dark fur. He had short ears, narrowed lime yellow eyes, and very small features compared to his very fluffy face. All of the fur on his head was a black color, as were all four of his legs and his tail. The fur coating his body, however, was a light, ashy-brown tone to match. To Kakashi, this might have just been the largest cat he's ever seen. Of course it was a cat, but this feline was just so big!

        This beast of a domesticated cat wore a vest that hugged the fur underneath it to his body. On the chest of the vest, it had a kanji that read Protector.

        Well, he clearly looked like one. With his large body and his perch atop the highest shelf in (Name)'s room, he was watching Kakashi like a hawk.

        "Who are you?" Kakashi inquired to the cat. He wasn't expecting an answer, but when he got one, he wasn't surprised. After all, he had a group of dogs that spoke to him.

        "Kankaku-Teki." The large cat responded. His voice was tight and very low, and he sounded a bit angry, like he was trying to be intimidating. His large, fluffy tail wrapped around his front paws, which were tucked neatly underneath all of that fur of his.

        Kakashi nodded to the feline. "You can smell it, can you?" The man questioned the cat.

        "Dog." Kankaku-Teki grunted, leaping off of the shelf and making it to your bed in one leap. He jerked his tiny, black nose up to the bouquet in Kakashi's hands. "Weapon?"

        Kakashi looked down at the flowers. "No. These are flowers."

        "Useless." Kankaku-Teki mumbled, climbing on top of your stomach and curling into a loaf of bread. Saying nothing more to Kakashi, Kankaku-Teki closed his eyes.

        Suddenly, another pair of glowing eyes opened from up underneath the space beneath the bed. Out came a black and white tuxedo cat, which was none other than Myū. Were these really your summons? Did you have more than two ninneko? How many did you have? And if you did, did you use them for the same purposes that Kakashi did?

        Kakashi dumbfoundedly stared at the smaller, more normal-looking feline. "And who are you?" Kakashi asked, squatting down to pet the kitty. Myū sniffed Kakashi's hand, then her green eyes looked up at the man's face.

        After a few seconds, Myū rubbed the top of her head into Kakashi's gloved hand, seeking out his affection.

        Kakashi wasn't a cat person, but he still liked to pet cats every now and then. They were cute, after all, and the Hatake saw no reason to refuse them.

        After patting Myū on the top of the head, Kakashi moved to put your bouquet of flowers into the empty vase on your bedside. He worked on fluffing them out before cautiously taking a seat in one of the chairs beside your bed, his eyes fixated on your form.

        You were sleeping. Your eyes were closed and Kakashi could hear your calm exhales and inhales through your mask that was strapped to the bottom half of your mouth. Your (length) hair was messy and slightly frizzy—perhaps from constantly moving your head around on the pillowcase. The thin blanket that was tucked into the mattress went up to the middle of your stomach, and your arms were placed on top of the sheet with your hands on your midriff.

        The bandages on your eyes that were wrapped around your head bothered Kakashi. He did that to you. But he had to—you were going to kill his student.

        "I can't really talk freely, knowing that there are two cats inside of this room that would judge everything that I say," Kakashi mumbled. “So I won’t say anything.”

        Myū soundlessly jumped onto the foot of your bed, her eyes resting on Kakashi. “You smell… like a wet dog.” She judged, her ears slightly angling sideways.

        Kakashi looked up at your bicolored cat. “Well,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “It is raining outside.” He was feeling a bit awkward knowing that your summons were in the same room as him and were staring at him. At least—Myū was. The large cat that was sitting on top of your hands was facing you, his eyes opening and closing at a slow and sleepy pace.

        The chair that Kakashi sat in was placed up against the wall, the large window with drawn curtains right behind his back. The light from the candles illuminated his figure, highlighting his cheekbones and everywhere else along his face and muscular form.

        Myū laid down on her side at your feet that were hidden underneath the covers. “What’s your name?” Myū questioned the ninja.

        Kakashi already had his eye transfixed on the feline. “Kakashi Hatake,” he answered, holding out a single finger to the cat. Myū comically tapped it with her paw, smiling with her eyes at the silver headed man. “You are the first visitor to come see (Name)–sama, Mr. Hatake,” Myū informed, making Kakashi’s lips twitch. “But anyways, my name is Myū. I am (Name)-sama’s main summon. I am number one.”

        “You seem quite proud of yourself,” Kakashi chuckled to the cat. “I would imagine so,” He then whispered, mostly to himself.

        Myū tucked her back into the blanket that was hugging (Name)’s ankle. The room was quiet for a long time, the only sound being Kankaku-Teki’s monster–truck purring. Myū began to give herself a bath, and for the briefest moment Kakashi simply couldn’t believe that he was actually here, sitting in the same room as you. After almost fifteen years, Kakashi finally got you back.

        The heart monitor beeped steadily in the background of Kakashi’s thoughts as his dark orb continued to gaze at your face. You seemed to be very relaxed in your sleep; deep down, Kakashi was glad that you were on the laughing gas. It made it easier for you to sleep (Kakashi could never sleep in strange, foreign places) and kept you from being too anxious. Although, Kakashi knew that a side-effect of the laughing gas was crying. Kakashi hoped that you hadn't cried at any point.

        I've missed you, he thought. He was excited to take care of you after your term in the hospital was over—but he knew that it was going to come at a price, deep in the back of his mind.

        A groan resonated through your chest from your place on the bed.

        Kakashi straightened up at hearing this—were you waking up? He glanced up at the screen of the heart monitor. It appeared so, as the methodical beeping began to speed up, but not by too much since you were intoxicated by the nitrous oxide. "Mmn," You sighed, rolling your head so that your cheek rested on the side of the pillow facing away from Kakashi. The man in question hopefully and expectantly stared at you, waiting for you to speak to him.

        Kankaku-Teki assisted in waking you up. He lazily pushed his body with his two hind feet forward until his mouth was close enough to your face so that he could lick your cheek. After repetitively licking your skin for a few seconds, you grumbled and drowsily pulled your hands out from underneath Kankaku-Teki so that you could clumsily place them on his back. Kakashi avoided making any noise for a while—for he didn't want to disturb the peace... and he was a little nervous.

        "(Name)," Kakashi finally called out to you. He heeded the doctor's warning and tried not to speak too loudly. However, you failed to notice him, since the laughing gas was clouding your senses and you were still very tired. So, Kakashi called your name again.

        After calling your name for the third time, you rolled your head over to the direction where Kakashi's voice came from. You weren't facing the exact direction of where Kakashi was sitting—with your right cheek flat against the pillow, you merely made an effort to at least try to let Kakashi (he wasn't even sure if you knew it was him) know that you were listening.

        "(Name), it's Kakashi," He truthfully revealed. If you were going to yell at him and be angry at him, then so be it. Kakashi Hatake wasn't a coward.

        Your mouth twitched underneath the translucent mask that you were wearing, but you didn't say anything. Kankaku-Teki laid his head on your neck, avoiding the confrontation between the two of you. Myū had it easy; she was already asleep.

        The man swallowed. "How are you feeling?"

        You didn't answer. Instead, you began to pet Kankaku-Teki, and a quiet, intoxicated giggle came out of your mouth under the mask. "Do you hear that, Kankaku-Teki?" You questioned the cat.

        "What?" The cat questioned his master, his face buried in your neck.

        "That... that noise," You struggled. "It almost sounds like... a fool, I can almost make out..."

        A laugh burst from your mouth, but it wasn't loud. It was like you were straining to keep quiet, lest your head start hurting. The laugh sounded empty. Kankaku-Teki lifted his head up to look over his shoulder blade at Kakashi, who looked confused. "He brought you flowers," Kankaku-Teki informed.

        You blearily thought to yourself that you wanted to laugh, to snort, or to make some sort of mockery of Kakashi again, but you found yourself realizing that it was only a passing thought. You were too out of it to make another effort to do any of those things. Instead, you simply spoke in a sloppy voice: "I hate flowers. Who... who would think to get me flowers?" Tongue rolling in your mouth, you groaned quietly after you finished talking.

        You were mocking Kakashi. You were unabashedly mocking him and you didn't even like flowers. Who didn't like flowers? The books that Kakashi read—written by Jiraiya—explicitly stated that women loved flowers as gifts. The girl ate it up in the story, and Kakashi was unabashedly embarrassed to know that he failed in this department of trying to give you a gift.

        "It smells like wet dog," You complained. "It's disgusting... Kankaku-Teki, make it go away!"

        And Kakashi smelled like rainwater from failing to remember to get his umbrella this morning.

        Frowning and furrowing his brows, Kakashi stood up from his chair and quickly left your hospital room, not without stealing one last glance at you before leaving.

        You didn't want to talk to him. You just needed space, Kakashi figured.


	31. Familiarity

        A heavy sigh escaped your nose and your eyes rolled to the back of your head at the sight of your door opening to reveal Kakashi Hatake, who was holding a tray of food in one hand and shutting the door behind him with the other.

        When he looked over to you after shutting the door, you snapped your eyes in a different direction and turned your chin towards the window beside your bed, opting to look at the weather instead of the silver-headed man. Kakashi huffed out a quiet sigh through his mask, but it was too quiet for you to hear. A whole other week had passed since your last encounter—for which Kakashi had indeed decided that you needed your space. But he wanted to try and at least patch things up with you. He gave you your time, but the Hatake was anxious to see you again, so he wanted to come to the hospital as soon as he could after a mission that he partook in. Right after collecting his money, he went to the nearest market and bought soup, along with some other food that he assumed that you'd appreciate.

        Slowly stepping up to the side of your hospital bed, Kakashi held the tray in front of him with both of his hands.

        "Will you let me sit?" He asked of you. You stared out the window for a few seconds. No. Too late, though—Kakashi was already sitting in the chair that was placed beside your bed. Your eyelids drooped with deep irritation by the mere presence of him; as soon as he entered the room, you were already fervently waiting for him to leave again. Crossing your arms and continuing to ignore the Hatake, you sat up and leaned your back against the headboard of the hospital bed.

        The smell of the hot food that Kakashi had prepared before he entered the room made its way to your nose, and you couldn't help but feel your stomach growl. The nurses had failed to give you any breakfast this morning; perhaps it wasn't entirely their fault. You were a very angry person, and it didn't help that whenever a doctor came into your room you would stare at them with shadows under your eyes until they left in urgency to get out of your room.

        So yeah, you admitted that it wasn't their fault... not entirely.

        However, you were adamant on not acknowledging Kakashi's presence, so you avoided looking at the bowl of soup. But it smelled so good...

        Kakashi set the tray in his lap. It consisted of hot udon soup, a bowl of buttered white rice with salt, a fluffy roll, and a whole plate of karaage—fried chicken, topped off with a cup of green tea. Giving you the respect of sitting tall in his chair but still holding onto the edges of the tray, Kakashi let his eyes travel up to your cheekbone since it was the only thing closest to your eyes that he could see since you had your head turned.

        He had noticed that your summons weren't present upon entering the room. He was happy about this—at least now he could truly speak his mind to you without having ears that didn't belong to you listening. It made him feel uncomfortable to know that people or talkative animals who he wasn't particularly close to was listening to him talk personally with someone whom he hadn't seen in many years. Especially since it was you.

        "As you can clearly smell, I have food." He belatedly informed, his eyebrow furrowed and his mouth formed into a sheepish smile underneath his mask.

        You made sure that the scoff and the roll of your eyes was clear to the man on the left side of your bed. You wanted him to know that his presence was unwanted—most ardently. But Kakashi only continued to stare at you, and he did not back down.

        "Let me make a deal with you. If you agree to look at me just once, I'll let you have some food. Then you can look away and you can roll your eyes and scoff at me all you want." He bargained, and you whipped your head around, a fierce and angry scowl upon your face, your eyes shadowed with telltale fury. Kakashi did not back down, nor did he flinch from your burning stare. Holding eye contact with you, he reached a hand over the tray to pick up the roll.

        "I'm not looking at you because I want food, you fool," You growled at him. "I'm looking at you because I want you to leave!"

        Kakashi held out the roll that was sitting on the tray. "So you mean to tell me that you don't want this?" He cautiously taunted. His onyx eye watched your own flicker down to the roll, your angry face slipping away momentarily. After looking back up at Kakashi and staring him down for a few moments, you held eye contact with the man as your right hand swiftly snatched it out of his gloved hand. With the corners of his lips tugging upwards in a small smile, he shook his head as you rolled back over to face the window again—he was unable to see you eating the roll, but he could see your shoulder shifting around with the movement of holding it and biting into it.

        "Let's continue the bargain," Kakashi began. He was feeling quite confident today—it took him a long time to finally muster up the courage to bring himself here and speak to you again.

        He knew that seeing you would mean digging up past demons, but... Kakashi hoped that it would mean building the friendship between the two of you again. "If you answer my questions... I'll let you have some rice."

        Finishing the roll, you realized that you were still hungry. You didn't like being baited like this. But you were so hungry... You barely even ate the food that the nurse left out for you last night and even yesterday evening. You were really starting to hate yourself for doing this to your body... now you were stuck with having to converse with Kakashi, and do so much as look at him.

        "How long were you in the Akatsuki?" Kakashi questioned you, picking up the bowl of rice with the chopsticks neatly placed on the corner of the bowl.

        You hesitated to answer. You didn't want to seem as if you were so desperate for food as to answer right off the bat. Still rolled over and facing away from him, you thought back through the months to try and calculate...

        "Almost two years," You mumbled. Kakashi almost didn't hear your response due to how quiet you were, but with his sensitive hearing, he was thankfully able to. He suspected that he'd be getting a lot of mumbled responses for the upcoming questions, so he made sure to pay attention. "That's a long time to be in a terrorist organization." He thought out loud. "Who were you teamed with?"

        You did not answer. You didn't want to. Your eyes drifted off to the side, staring at each individual stitch to the pillowcase that you were resting your head on. Giving out sensitive information such as that to the man that you hated most ardently was something that you were not going to do.

        Kakashi sighed. "I guess that question is out of the window. How did you become S-Rank?"

        "Go away. I don't want your food anymore." You threatened in the clearest voice you could make, and Kakashi blinked at the back of your head. Pressing his lips together under his mask, he swallowed. The rice that he held in his hand was gently placed back onto the tray with a clinking noise, and the Hatake stood up from the chair, holding the tray of food. Walking away from your bed, he figured that you at least looking at him and answering one question was a step forward... but it was nothing compared to what you were going to have to face later. Stepping out of your hospital room, he left the tray of food on a nearby empty bed pressed against the wall of the hallway, which was perhaps being saved for something important later.

 

 

        "WHERE IS SHE?!" Obito screamed to the heavens above, stepping out of your room in the tower and storming down the hallway.

        Obito had left to keep Kakashi and his team of fools from reaching Itachi's last battle with Sasuke so he could hopefully recruit the boy; and to his delight, he managed to capture the brat. As of currently, Sasuke was still passed out and at the other Akatsuki hideout. Obito was ecstatic, especially since the plan was very much falling in to place, and he could create a life for you to enjoy and live in after all of this was over—Obito wanted you to be happy in the Infinite Tsukuyomi—that's all he wanted from the plan. Your happiness was a priority to the man.

        "Where is (Name)?!" The masked man shouted, his voice booming with a threatening tint throughout the tower. There was hardly anyone else in the tower from the original Akatsuki since they were all dead—who was going to answer him aside from Zetsu, Kisame, Konan, and Pein?

        Pein and Konan.

        This was outrageous. (Name) managed to leave the tower again—could the insufferable woman not understand that Obito was trying to help her?! Time and time again he has offered his services to the woman to ensure that she was at her best. He cleaned your wounds, he moved you from Hidan and Kakuzu's teams, he even let you be a single one-person team to be by yourself. Yet, you still managed to get hurt in some way, shape, or form! Were you rejecting his efforts?

        Did you not like him like he liked you?

        Obito paused on his way up to Pein's office, leaning most of his body weight onto the wall of the stairway. Groaning, the man reached up with his right hand to cup the bottom of his mask firmly in his palm before pulling the mask off of his head altogether. The marred, callused skin of his face was plagued with sweat that had accumulated over time after catching wind of your absence.

        This was unfair!

        Clutching the mask in his shaking hand, the Uchiha shouted as he harshly chucked the swirly orange appendage at the wall. His red orbs followed it as it boomeranged and fell down the flight of stairs. How could you do this to him? How could you do this to him?! Obito's hands continued to shake as he stared at his mask, still sitting on the floor a single set of stairs below.

        He knew that his ugliness was bound to make you leave. You had never seen who was under the mask, but he knew that he was not a knight in shining armor. Obito knew that he was an enigma to you and he knew that he was a frustrating man. Obito was passionate, he was short-tempered and he was patient at the same time. He was vague and he was perhaps even a little misleading at times—but these mental gymnastics that you were putting him through was pushing him over the edge.

        "AGGGGHHHHHH!" Obito screamed again, and punched the metallic wall with so much force that it made a fist-shaped imprint on the surface. He screamed and screamed each time that his fists landed on something, anything that was near him—the pent-up frustration was too much to bear for the man. "AHHHHHH!" He shouted one last time, clutching his forehead with both of his hands. Bending at the knees, Obito fell onto the small 6x6 floor and held his head in his gloved hands, a quiet, dry sob wracking his body.

        He knew you were gone. He couldn't feel your chakra anywhere close to the hideout, nor in the nearby areas. You were too far away.

        Sobbing into his hands, Obito's eyes were like a faucet as his hot tears fell onto the metallic floor below him. Who would have thought—the great Madara Uchiha, sobbing over a stubborn, short-tempered girl who had memory problems and a lack of sense for her own safety. I was supposed to protect you, Obito thought over and over again. A short, quick gasp left Obito, and he continued to cry his heart out for you in the middle of the stairway, hoping that what he was thinking wasn't true.

        He hoped that you didn't leave because of him.

 

        "WHERE IS (NAME)?!" Obito repeated once again, slamming open the door to Pein's office with his shoulder. His mask was back upon his face to reveal his secret, glad that no one had witnessed his breakdown in the stairway.

        Pein turned around from looking at a map on his desk to make eye contact with a flashing red sharingan. Pein furrowed his brows, parting his lips as an incredulous expression made its way onto his face. Konan stood by her partner's desk, tensing up and preparing for something that wasn't going to be pretty.

        "What are you talking about?" Pein questioned the man whom he believed to be Madara Uchiha, following the masked man's form around his office with his eyes.

        Obito huffed through his nose and growled before upturning a table on one side of the room, making sure to slam it hard into the wall that it was next to with the sheer force of his muscles. "The woman that I told you to keep an eye on! The woman that I said was a priority member! (NAME)! (NAME)!"

        Pein blinked at the man. "I did. She left the tower a few hours ago. I did not think it was a priority to keep her in the tower."

        Obito clutched at his temples, digging the tips of his fingers into the skin and into his dark tufts of hair. "You are an IMBECILE! DID I NOT TELL YOU THAT SHE WAS INJURED UP—" Obito pointed at his head with a tense, shaking hand, "—HERE?!"

        Pein looked down at the floor and sighed before looking back up at Obito's mask. "You have told me. However, how useful is she when she cannot even complete a mission without passing out or nearly getting killed? It seems like a liability to me, Madara." Keeping his cool, Pein along with Obito, completely forgot the presence of Konan in the room. The blue-haired woman took a step back to avoid anything being thrown at her, and decided to stay out of the argument.

        "Oh, you think she isn't useful, huh?" Obito sarcastically bit out. "I don't think Konan is useful to us, either!" He snarled, jerking his hand over to the blue-haired woman. Gasping and beginning to fume at the masked man, Konan grit her teeth and clenched her fists within her sleeves.

        "How dare you say that to me!" Konan interjected, taking a few steps forward in spite of her previous actions. "I am very useful to this organization! I am one of the founding fathers of this group! You were never even here in the beginning in the first place!"

        Obito laughed at the woman. "I could kill you two for this treachery." He growled, shifting his stare between the two. "Just know that I know where your real body is, Nagato." Obito threatened, and Pein's lips curled.

        "I'm going to fix your mess. Don't let it happen again, or I will snap your necks." Obito finished, before whirling around teleporting out of Pein's office.

 

        Your room was so empty.

        Obito looked over at your bed. It was still as messy as ever, with the bottom sheet that was meant to hug the bed slipping over the corners and becoming undone. Your worn quilt (that you had even before your entrance to the Akatsuki) was falling over the edge of the bed, and the pillows were sprawled over the mattress. Your floor was completely clean, with not a speck of dirt anywhere to be seen. However, your window was still open and the curtains were billowing in the breeze from outside.

        That is where you escaped.

        Obito felt his eyes beginning to burn again. Walking over to the window above your bed, he gripped the windowpane and pulled it down to shut it once again, turning the latch to lock it. The man turned around and observed the rest of your room. The belongings that you carried with you throughout your years were still sitting on the dresser pushed up against the wall, collecting dust and untouched for weeks. The man found himself gently picking up the little antique cat that was barely even the size of his thumb from your desk. It looked so familiar, yet he couldn't quite place it. Perhaps he had seen it many years ago, back when...

        Obito grunted and set the cat back onto the desk. He would not think about it. However, he did want to keep your things. So picking the cat back up and setting it into a pocket in his pants, Obito continued to look over your desk. You had some letters that you had written for yourself with a pencil that ended up on the floor—perhaps to keep your thoughts organized? You had an unhealthy habit of having mental gymnastics, Obito had come to realize. You were not a good conversationalist, nor were you good at proving points or arguments. Your mind was a jumble of different words, reasons, and ideas; so sometimes when you spoke you didn't quite make sense, depending on the topic. Obito had brought this up to you once, but you had merely replied with: "Sorry."

        Point proven, he supposed.

        Obito picked up the few pages and began to read:

        My head hurts all the time, but I cannot help it. Sometimes it's too much to bear... for nights on end I lay awake in my bed, clutching my head in agony with my knees drawn to my chest and my teeth splitting. In the mornings, it feels like several days for me to find the courage to get up. My movements are slow and processed, I fear that soon my state will grow worse, and I will not be able to even move my person around anymore. My fingers feel like I have been standing out in the cold for several hours, like I cannot flex them properly or even hold a pencil without dropping it onto this desk. It comes and goes in bouts, but whenever I am finally able to flex my fingers, I take advantage of the mobility whenever I can. It feels like my chakra is battling the war raging on in my skull, and it is an endless tug-of-war. This paper is my only way to express my thoughts freely, since whenever I feel confronted to speak my mind out loud, the never-ending silence from my end screams to say something. Anything—but I only find my mind built with an elaborate mental wall, made to keep myself from finding the right words that I so eagerly want to say every time I am asked a question or whenever I want to do so much as talk.

        That is why I find myself decorated with scars from Hidan, but who am I to tell? He is a crazy man, he could have just been bored—but I find that highly unlikely. I know myself better than that. If there was a way to be able to speak to one person across the world—a friend—with a piece of paper, I would take the chance. Perhaps then, I would seem like a collected person instead of a woman who makes a fool out of herself on the regular in front of a terrorist organization...

        Obito folded the papers up and put them inside of another pocket. He was right. The man felt bad for you. He wished that he had the type of technology to help your head, but he didn't. The most that he could do was steal medication from a drug store clerk that he found in a nearby village and hope that it would work on you. It appeared like it did just a little bit—but it wasn't enough. The man never knew that you would curl into yourself and clutch your head at night, nor did he know that you didn't even sleep because of it.

        Obito Uchiha felt horrible. He failed in protecting you in that department—the one that mattered most to him. Your happiness.

        

 

        "Keep moving," The ANBU officer who was escorting you brusquely grunted, roughly pushing you forward by your back. Your bare feet clumsily stumbled and you almost lost your balance, had you not caught yourself with your feet. Your wrists were cuffed together with heavy, chakra-censoring handcuffs behind your back, and the edges were harshly biting into the delicate skin.

        Many onlooking Konoha civilians booed at you and threw things at you; shoes, rocks, whatever they could find in their immediate vicinity. Quiet, strained grunts left you whenever one of the midair weapons struck you; your feet and your face were the most vulnerable, since they were the only parts of you that were easily exposed to the cool, biting air of today's breeze. Your red hospital pajamas were still clad on your form, so you imagined that you looked pretty vulnerable in front of these civilians today. Some shinobi that were standing with the onlookers looked at you with disgust wracking their faces.

        You opted to keep your head down.

        Earlier this morning, a whole team of ANBU entered your room in the hospital with two nurses. The two nurses that had unhooked you from the hospital bed and looked you over seemed to be more confident in your presence with the ANBU soldiers present—when they made you t-pose so that they could search you for any hidden weapons (which they fortunately found none), you couldn't help but let a small smirk curl on your lips.

        You enjoyed the dominance of being feared. All your life, you lived in submission, stealing from villages and eating scraps just to get by. Life's obstacles made you cower in the fear of starving to death or dying by illness—but now that you were s-rank, you were dominating life, and your obstacles were the ones who were fearing you. 

        But aside from that, you were cuffed by the ANBU officer accompanying the three soldiers with him and then escorted out of the hospital shortly after. They did not inform you of where you were going, but you assumed that it was jail, despite what Tsunade had told you when you first woke up two weeks ago.

        After thirty minutes of being scrutinized and mocked by the villagers and having things thrown at you, the ANBU officer made you pause in front of a large building near the Hokage quarters. It was Konoha's police station—it was just as you expected.

        "We're not putting you in jail," The officer informed as he was signalling to the hidden ANBU on the rooftops. "Although you should be." He mumbled under his breath beneath the mask. "Lady Tsunade has prohibited it. For now, your mind is going to be scoped."

        Brows furrowing and lips turning downward, you whipped your head around to look over your shoulder at the tall man. "Wait, what do you mean—agh!"

        The officer roughly pushed you forward, making you fall onto the front steps of the building. "You bastard!" You cursed at the man, hauling yourself back up with your knees and shoulders. The officer only scoffed under his breath. "That's one of my many names, ma'am. Get up!" He barked, and you growled under your breath, finding yourself being continuously pushed throughout the building until he made his way to two double doors at the end of a hallway. The officer pulled out a passkey card, and swiped it in front of an electronic screen beside the doors. The box beeped, and the doors slid open—the entrance to this part of the building was probably one of the only electronic things you saw in this entire village. It wasn't abnormal, barely anyone had any sort of electronic devices in this day and age—they were very uncommon, and they weren't mass produced like certain foods or any other resources.

        You were yanked into the room by the officer and roughly pushed forward once again, only to come face to face with a lab full of computers, and a large box-like structure in the very front of the room, built upon a podium. There were no desks around the entire vicinity of the box-like structure, and this made a drop of sweat roll down your temple. Were they going to use that to comb through your mind? You swallowed, but found nothing to swallow down since your mouth was dry. You weren't looking forward to this.

        A woman with purple hair and an older man with scars on his face stepped forward. It seemed as if they had been waiting for you—several shinobi sat in the back of the room, along with the ANBU officer who escorted you and the three other ANBU who followed him into the room not long afterwards. This building had their security for sure.

        "Hello," The woman with purple hair greeted you. She wore a mesh shirt with a beige lab coat and the signature headband was wrapped around her forehead. Her eyes were kind of muddy purple color, and they did not look away from your face for a second as soon as you walked into the examination room. "Do you remember me?"

        You sneered at her. "No."

        The woman pouted. "Aw," She huffed. "I'm Anko Mitarashi. I was friends with your old teammate Kurenai when you were still at the village with us all those years ago! I'm surprised you don't remember me, we hung out once or twice..." She trailed off.

        "I don't care." You bluntly said, only to be pushed forward by the older man with the marred face. "Watch your tongue, brat! Step forward towards the podium where that box is." He gruffly said, walking away from you to head over to a computer. He began typing on the keyboard, and walking away from Anko, your bare feet made light slapping noises on the shiny tile flooring. When you made your way up the three steps to stand in front of the box, the ANBU officer who had escorted you unlocked the cuffs binding your wrists together. Three scientists in white coats turned on the examination machine, and the box made some whirring noises before splitting in two and making way for you to sit in a built-in chair with armrests. You sat in it, and blankly stared forward at the wall over the two double doors as the scientists bound you into the chair.

        A quick, stinging sensation was felt in your neck as one of the scientists injected you with a serum. Stepping away from you, one of them pressed a button, and the machine blew out steam before shutting you in, only your head being left exposed now. And just like that, your eyes shut and you were passed out.

 

        Your eyes snapped open. Whipping your head around to find your wrists and ankles bound to chains, you looked up and saw the man with the scarred face in front of you. He was staring right through you, his face grave.

        "Will you fight?" He questioned you. You began to hyperventilate, and there seemed to be three of the man in front of you. Muscles tensing and lungs unable to catch a proper supply of of breath, you weren't able to breathe. You didn't want him in your head. You wanted him gone. You wanted to escape this village, you wanted to go back to where you were before. You regretted leaving the Akatsuki tower. You regretted not listening to Tobi or heeding his warning to not go outside unless you were with him. You were scared. Your mind was the one place that was safe to you, but even now with your brain causing your problems, you felt as though you couldn't escape. You couldn't think, you couldn't feel. You were trapped.

        "You are falling under an illusion, Akatsuki," The man vaguely said. "We are inside your mind. There is no air in here."

        Shaking your head and groaning to yourself, you desperately tried to calm yourself down. While you hung your head to where your chin was against your chest, the scarred man stepped forward and grabbed your forehead, pushing your head forward. Your eyes rolled back into their sockets as you felt the man invading your mind, targeting chapters of your life to sift through.

"...No. I wish that they did, though. I don't really know what I'm doing wrong."

"You're disturbing them!"

        A scream erupted through you. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

        The scarred investigator dipped his chin, and his face revealed that he was getting irritated. "If we're going to play this the hard way, then we will." He drawled.

        Your eyes, previously shut tight, snapped open at the feeling of the chains tightening around your hands and feet. After only a second, realization came in the form of screams. The chains tugged at your joints, pulling your arms and legs out in four directions. He was stretching you, and he was trying to break you.

"Back then when we first met... what did you mean when you said that you didn't know who you were?"

"I don't know if that really matters, but... I don't know if I feel comfortable explaining in detail about what I meant. ...I'm sorry."

        You shook your head. "Stop it! STOP!"

        The chains pulled your joints even further, and you felt alarming pops in all four of your joints. Screams wracked your body, until your eyes eventually snapped shut, and you fell apart.

"... nothing but a filthy beggar, roaming the streets..."

"... get away from my food!"

"... You know, you aren't that bad of a person," A familiar, vague voice was heard in your mind.

"... But I am a horrible person. I'm just a lonesome kid who doesn't even really know who she is. I'm lost, Obito..."

        Flashes of a young boy with goggles laughing with you, eating with you, training with you, and gazing at you flashed before the scarred man's eyes.

"He's weird."

"Like me?" A sheepish smile.

Onyx eyes moved from a window to focus on yours. They seemed to be serious.

"Yes."

        Tears welled in your eyes at all of these memories that you thought you had forgotten being shoved right back in your face. The memories of your happiness with Obito, and the memories of Kakashi rejecting your advances to be friends with him was too much for you to handle. Sobbing as your body hung by the chains, you no longer resisted on fighting back.

"When I'm older, I want to become stronger than Kakashi, become Hokage, and get Rin to fall in love with me. Maybe, I'll let you become my second-in-command!"

"To be truthful, Obito... I'm not completely bound to this village. It's still as foreign to me as the sunny weather and ice cream. But at the same time, my loyalties don't lie outside of the village, either. I mean... there's only one thing that I'm loyal to here."

Two youthful sets of eyes, one (color) and one onyx, locked.

"The Hokage?"

"..."

(Color) eyes became downcast.

        Forward.

"... How could you, Kakashi?! How could you just leave them there! Why didn't you watch after Rin?!"

"... You are even more of a fool than I remember! You don't listen to anything, nor do you think about people's feelings!" One Kakashi Hatake yelled back at you.

"You're one to talk!"

        Forward.

"Love doesn't exist."

        Forward.

"We want you to join our organization. You're strong, and we'd find it wonderful if you joined us."

"If Tobi is a good boy, will (Name)-chan come back soon?"

The image of Hidan burying his scythe into a little girl's chest, but the feeling of guilt.

A man with a swirly orange mask gently wiping away the blood from your face.

Feelings were forming.

“What village is (Name)-chan from?”

“I’m not sure where I’m from, but I suspect that I’m probably from Kumogakure or the Land of Lightning, at the very least. That would explain my affinity for it, I guess.”

The memory of you, sitting on the outside wall of the tower, holding your head in your hands within the aftershock of Zetsu trying to eat you alive.

Pain, sadness, confusion.

Kakashi.

The masked individual, confronting you about your head problems, and leaning over you with his mask very close to your face...

Your heart was racing in that moment.

Feelings are expanding.

"Itachi is leaving to fight his brother, Sasuke. I'm leaving to follow them, and I'd like you to stay here. Especially since Konoha nin is expected to try and catch Sasuke."

Longing.

You were captured.

Hospital.

Seeing Kakashi's face... guilt, anger, resentment.

        Your eyes snapped open once again, but you weren't trapped within the box anymore. Instead, the box was opening up and revealed your sweating form, panting and gasping for air. A sudden, hot wetness cascaded down your face, and you recognized it to be tears. When the scientists unhooked you from the chair, you stayed seated, nail-bitten fingers gripping the edges of the armrests with an impossible force. Your cheeks reddened with the realization that you were crying in front of all of the people in this room. Ducking your head in embarrassment, you avoided looking at the ANBU officer who lifted you up from the chair and cuffed you again, but this time it was just a single cuff around your ankle. You could feel it dulling your strength, but not as much as the handcuffs did which you were thankful for.

        Eyes still wide and your mind still in shock from what had just happened, you blindingly followed the officer out of the lab.

        Tears were still falling from your chin.

 

 

        Tsunade looked up at Ibiki Morino as soon as he made way into the Hokage's office.

        "Well?" She anxiously questioned the man, holding a fist up to her chin.

        Ibiki stepped forward, holding his hands behind his back. "It will take some work, but..."

        "(Name) is redeemable."


	32. Unfamiliar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my favorite chapter in the entire series. hope you enjoy.

        "Where are you taking me?" You questioned the ANBU officer over your shoulder, eyes still red and puffy. The tears were dried up on your cheeks and all under your eyes, making the delicate skin feel dried up and cracked from the uncomfortable feeling. Just now was the first time that you had genuinely cried in a very long time, and you felt mentally exhausted from the exertion. You sniffled, as your nose was still runny from the experience.

        The ANBU officer continued to walk behind you, guiding you through empty alleyways between buildings. "You're not going back to the hospital. Your medication has been shipped over to your new escort, so you don't have to worry about anything progressing too much."

        Realization slapped you in the face, and you firmly planted your feet in the dirt below you, frantically shaking your head at the officer. "No! No, please! Don't make me stay with him!"

"You are even more of a fool than I remember! You don't listen to anything, nor do you think about people's feelings!"

        The ANBU scoffed. "Hokage's orders." Then, he shoved you forward. "Keep walking."

        The rest of the way towards whatever direction the officer was taking you was too short for you to handle. You wanted the trip to last forever so that you weren't at the front steps of Kakashi Hatake's apartment so quickly. Like a small child, you hid behind the ANBU's back when he stepped forward to knock on the door. In the few moments of silence that engulfed the ANBU and yourself, your wide, frantic eyes blinked up at the number engraved in the pale green wood of the door.

        Apartment 22.

        Apartment 22, belonging to Kakashi Hatake, was on the second floor of the apartment complex. The stairway up to his home was painted black and see-through, and it jingled with every step you and the ANBU officer took. With the noise that it created, you were sure that some of the people down below could hear that the filthy Akatsuki had arrived. With the limited information that was given to you, you weren't sure if the neighbors even knew that you were staying with Kakashi.

        The sound of the doorknob to the door began to jingle, and you could feel your heart start to race frantically in your chest. Your breathing began to pick up and your eyes started to burn once again. Locking your eyes onto the heels of the ANBU, you shook your head and tried to calm down your breathing. It's just a person that you're going to be staying with. Calm down.

        But it was Kakashi Hatake. And with every single memory of him having to be relived within a few minutes, your heart felt like it couldn't handle the sudden rush of memories, and so you felt like you were having a panic attack.

        I can't do this!

        The front door opened, and Kakashi appeared. He had taken off his headband and his vest, along with his sandals. When his bi-colored orbs met with the eyes of the ANBU officer, he cocked his head slightly. "Hello," He greeted.

        "Kakashi Hatake," The ANBU greeted back, but it was curt and his voice sounded like he was nothing but business. "The investigation is finished. You can have her now." The man, getting straight to the point, stepped to the side to reveal your form. Your eyes were brimming with tears and your lips were trembling. When your (color) orbs looked up at Kakashi's own eyes, he felt a strong pang of nostalgia his chest. Eyebrows furrowing under his silver hair, he held eye contact with you as he told the ANBU, "Alright, thank you. I've got her now."

        The ANBU nodded, and phased away. There was only the two of you now, and you broke eye contact with the man in front of you. You only stood in place, refusing to move any further towards Kakashi's doorway.

        Kakashi frowned under his mask. "You're welcome to come in," He softly told you. You only continued to stare at his bare feet, lips continuing to tremble. The tears brimming on your eyelids became larger and larger, and you knew that you were about to break down in front of this man who felt like a stranger to you.

        "It's going to get cold tonight..." Kakashi hesitantly said. The man gestured towards the air with his bare hands before looking back at your reddening face. "You don't want to stay out here, do you?"

        Clenching your fists at your sides, you took a step forward towards the man. Kakashi was surprised that you did; he thought that he'd have to persuade you and then eventually fail, resulting in him having to guide you into his home by himself. You taking the first move made his eyes widen a fraction. However, he wasn't going to block you from coming inside.

        You watched as Kakashi stood off to the side of the doorway, his back pressing up against the edge. A few seconds passed.

        Abruptly, you dashed into his home, running through the living room and into the hallway. Kakashi gasped under his breath and quickly shut the door. "(Name)! (Name), wait!"

        Opening the first door that was closest to you, you slammed it shut and locked the knob, ensuring that Kakashi couldn't enter the room. Enshrouded in darkness, you stumbled over something that you couldn't see, but you didn't care. Falling down onto your knees and scooting as far back as you could until your back met with something, you figured that it was a bathtub. You had managed to lock yourself in the bathroom.

        A sob escaped you, and the tears finally fell from your eyes. You could hear Kakashi trying to open the door, but ultimately failing.

        "(Name), let me in the bathroom!" Kakashi demanded through the door to the washroom, his arms stretching out to grip both sides of the door frame and leaning most of his weight onto them.

        "No!" Your muffled, sobbing voice voice refused, drawing out the monosyllabic word as you cried.

        Kakashi sighed. "(Name)..." He began. "(Name), I'm sorry." Kakashi felt his heart begin to speed up in anxiety. He felt tremendous culpability at the fact that you were sobbing within the darkness of his guest bathroom, and he knew that it was because of him. He knew it. After all, he was the entire reason that you were 'stuck' in the village. He couldn't imagine what you must have felt during your stay at the hospital. Although he never saw you but twice during your stay there, he would stop by as frequently as he could to check up on your condition. The man cared for you, and he didn't want to see you leave like so many others have before. He couldn't handle another one leaving... especially not you, the happy child who was eager to learn about everything and always eating messily at the dining table, not knowing that it was rude and against the "table manners" rule.

        "(Name)... please, tell me what's wrong! What happened?" He asked of you, distress all over his voice. He anxiously tapped his lithe fingers on the edges of the doorway.

        In response to his question, he received nothing but silence. Well... he got sobbing as a response.

        "I know that you're angry at me... (Name), please listen. I was a foolish child! I was arrogant and I listened to no-one but myself. I only cared about my feelings. I never took into consideration how you felt about the whole... ordeal..." He tried to tell you, trying to speak over your crying on the other side of the door. Licking his lips and swallowing thickly, he shook his head. "I know that I failed you. I failed you as a friend who was supposed to be there for you. I never listened to what you had to say or what you wanted to do. I was a selfish kid, (Name). I'm sorry..."

        Kakashi stood before the door of his guest bathroom, pouring out his pent-up feelings to you. This is what he wanted to say to you all along. He was truly sorry for putting you through what you had to go through.

        "I'm sorry for pushing too hard. I was a lonely child, but I never realized how lonely you were as well. You were crying out for attention; all you wanted was a friend. I denied you that happiness. And... and... and the one happiness that you had was taken away from you... because of me. I just want you to know how genuinely sorry I am to you. Nothing that I could ever do will ever give you Obito back, and it's all my fault."

        From your spot in the bathroom, you cupped your hands over your mouth to try and stifle your sobbing. However, the gasping wouldn't stop, and neither would the hot tears that were pouring out of your clenched eyes. However, your ringing ears listened to every word that Kakashi was saying on the other side of the door.

        You weren't expecting him to apologize, but you felt nothing but bitterness towards the man who was pouring his feelings out to you. Now he was apologizing? After all these years... after all of this pain that you had to go through; the sleepless nights and the endless breakdowns that you had to endure? It made you want to huff out a humorless laugh at the fool. But you couldn't.

        You had nothing to say to him, and he deserved the silence.

        Kakashi recognized this after a long time of tense silence, and so he slowly leaned his weight off of the door and sighed before rubbing his face with his hands and heading down the hallway.

 

 

        A while after you calmed down, you decided to stand up and fight the light switch.

        You inspected that bathroom thoroughly, deciding that after finding nothing of particular value in the cabinets nor any other crevice in the room, the bathroom was guaranteed to being your safe place. There were many towels and rags that were neatly folded atop the shelf above Kakashi's washing machine and dryer. In the cabinet beneath the sink, there was mouthwash, some extra fresh toothbrush packets and three tubes of unopened toothpaste as well as a large bottle of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and three bars of new soap. Near the toilet there was a toilet-paper bin and a toilet brush in it's holster. The shower was just a tub with an indigo curtain concealing it. There was a stitched pattern along the rim of the curtain, and you rubbed it between your fingers.

        The bathroom was very clean. It was a reflection of the perfectionism that you remembered Kakashi having so much of when you were children.

        Kakashi, however, during the time that he decided to give to you after your ordeal, decided to start tidying up the guest bedroom for you. He had failed to do so while you were in the hospital since he wasn't really sure if you were really going to be able to stay in his abode, so he held off on it. But knowing that you were here, with him and able to start going through your "reversion" process, he decided to go ahead and start making the bed while you were in the bathroom.

        The guest room was quite clean as well. It was primarily white with accents of blue scattered in various places. For example, the bed sheets that were wrapped around the mattress were white, as were the pillows. But the blanket that Kakashi was fluffing out around the corners was a sky blue color, which added a nice touch to the room. After finishing the bed, Kakashi stood back and glanced around the room.

        Then he facepalmed.

        There was literally nothing but a bed pushed up against the wall in your new bedroom. Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. ... He might have been a bit of a minimalist... tidying up this room took literally two minutes, if that. He needed to get some things to decorate the room with for you. He wondered what you liked? Clearly, you did not like flowers, since you rejected them at the hospital (and your summon, Kankaku-Teki, said that they were useless). On second thought, that might have been because you did not want the flowers simply because they were from him? It was possible.

        He knew that you had ninneko's as summons. So from that, did you like cats like he liked dogs? Did you listen to music? Kakashi didn't; he liked to read books. Did you like books? He tried to think back to what you liked when the two of you were children. His memories were foggy... he could hardly think of a few things, but...

        Ice cream!

        Kakashi could remember countless times when Obito would tell the team about how much he loved eating ice cream with you at the ice cream parlor. Fortunately, he could just barely remember your favorite flavor, as well. Kakashi remembered how he would see you walking through the streets, licking at a cone of (favorite flavor) ice cream, with just a little of it smudged on the tip of your nose from how large the scoop was. The memory made him smile slightly.

        Now Kakashi knew what he was going to do. He was going to get you some ice cream later today, and he'd bring it to you. But right when he left your new room, Kakashi heard a knock on the front door.

        Who could that be? The man internally wondered, furrowing his brows in confusion and heading into the living room towards the front door. When he unlocked the knob and twisted it to pull open the door, he saw none other than Might Guy, alone, holding his hands behind his back. That was a bit odd of the man... but Kakashi thought no further on the subject.

        "Guy," He greeted, surprised. "Why are you here?"

        Guy grinned widely. "I heard that (Name) is being housed with you from another shinobi! Is this true, friend?" He questioned the Hatake. Kakashi blinked and rubbed the back of his head. "Er, well... yes, but—" He began, only to be interrupted by the man in green spandex, who presented a bouquet of flowers to the Hatake, thrusting it in his face.

        Kakashi sighed under his breath, but Guy fortunately did not hear. Taking it from the man, Kakashi looked over the flowers. They were rainbow-assorted, some flowers looking a little too flashy to belong in the assortment. It was a sweet sentiment from the man, but (Name)...

        "Guy, this is very kind of you to gift (Name), but... she's not exactly doing too well right now." Kakashi sugarcoated in a hushed voice, pulling the door closer to his shoulder in an attempt to keep the woman in the guest bathroom from hearing. Guy's eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion, the grin on his face faltering just barely.

        "What do you mean, Kakashi?" He questioned the man in front of him, slowly catching on to what Kakashi was trying to do with an unsure voice.

        Kakashi glanced around before looking back up at his friend. "(Name) isn't feeling too well. She's very upset, and I'm having a tough time trying to get her to listen to my efforts. I feel like with time she'll listen to me, but it'll take a while. I don't think that she'll be okay with visitors until she gets used to me again..." He mumbled, looking away from Guy with a sheepish look on his face.

        Guy leaned all of his weight on one foot and crossed his muscular arms over his chest. Shaking his head, the enthusiastic man spoke with sympathy in his voice. "Do not blame yourself too much, Kakashi. She'll be okay, and the two of you will be friends soon enough. Just be patient; after all, I know all about patience!" He laughed to himself. "I had to be a patient boy growing up. I had to be patient with my body when I was trying to pass those exams."

        Kakashi looked up at his friend again, a hint of comfort showing in his eyes. "Thank you, Guy."

        Guy grinned once again, and gave a thumbs up at Kakashi. "It was no problem! Good luck, friend." Guy shifted and turned, readying himself to leave. But then, he paused. "Oh, if the flowers ever get to (Name), tell her to read the card tied to the bottom. It's important!" And like that, he was gone, leaping off the edge of the railing down the hallway.

        Kakashi chuckled and shut the door. Curious, the Hatake opened up the card that was tied to the bottom of the bouquet by a bow-tied string. Squinting his eyes, he scanned Guy's handwriting.

        Kakashi snorted at what he read.

 

 

        "(Name)," Kakashi called from the dining room, deciding to give you your bouquet from Guy about two hours later. The Hatake picked up the bouquet off the small table that he was sitting at and gently pushed the frilled blanket off of his knees.

        From your place in the bathroom, you let a drawn-out sigh escape your mouth. You were laying down on your side within the bathtub, the indigo curtain pulled over the tub to conceal yourself within. Your back was turned to face the bathroom door to further hide yourself. It's not as if anybody would look at you anyways; you locked the door. However, this was your only sense of security, and you felt just barely comforted within this small space of a bathtub.

        What did Kakashi want now?

        "(Name)," Kakashi called out to you once again, this time right at the bathroom door. "You've got flowers from someone." His voice sounded somewhat persuasive, and you noted this. However, what person was going to give you flowers aside from Kakashi that one time? You began to get curious.

        After a few moments of silence, Kakashi could just barely make out your voice. As soon as you spoke, he pressed his ear up to the door to hear your quiet voice, shock all over his expression from underneath that mask.

        "From whom?" You miserably mumbled, still staring at the bottom corner of the bathtub with a numb look upon your reddened face. Your eyes were still swollen from the excessive amount of silent crying you had done ever since your last encounter with Kakashi three hours ago. You were glad that you weren't crying anymore in the moment, even if you didn't realize it. The continuous crying was making you have small twinges of pain in your head, and it felt utmost unpleasant.

        Kakashi hesitated, and you could just barely make it out in the beginning of his next statement. "Might Guy," He answered. "He really wanted you to have it, it's a present from the very bottom of his heart."

        You were too tired to move from your place on the floor of the bathtub, too numb to say anything else in response. Yet you found yourself trudging towards the door of the bathroom, unlocking the knob and cautiously cracking it open.

        Kakashi witnessed you reveal only half of your face from the other side of the bathroom door after you cracked it open, yet he felt such happiness and hope in his chest at the mere action of opening the door up for him.

        "Here," He tenderly said, holding out the bouquet of flowers for you. Staring at the assortment, you noticed how colorful it was. With its bright hues of summer colors, it was exactly something that you'd imagine Might Guy to do. From what you could remember of him, he seemed to be very flexible with his schedule; always wanting to do something that involved physical fitness, and he was a very happy and enthusiastic man. The exact opposite of yourself.

        Kakashi let his eyes trail up to your face when your feminine hand reached out to grab the base of the stems where his hand was. You avoided letting your fingertips touch his hand, to which he noticed. He wasn't upset; you'd warm up to him eventually, just like Guy said.

        And then you took the bouquet, and you shut the bathroom door again, making sure to lock it behind you. Looking closer at the bouquet, you noticed that there was a small card tied around the bottom. Your lips parted as you opened it up with you free hand. Looking over the blocky words, you read:

Spar?

Love, Might Guy

        A corner of your lips tugged upwards. It was so slight that it was hardly noticeable, but it was there, and it was because of Might Guy's insufferable perfect memory.

 

 

        "Kakashi-sensei!" One blond shouted to his teacher from the other end of the street, eager to meet up with Kakashi.

        Kakashi turned around and wasn't surprised to find Naruto with Sakura, the both of them racing to catch up with their teacher, who was clad in his Shinobi uniform. It was the very next day after your entrance into Kakashi's home, and Kakashi felt a bit hesitant to leave his home this morning, knowing that you were still hiding yourself from him. However, the cuff around your ankle kept you from leaving the premises of his home. If you did, it would immediately alert the ANBU and they'd be coming after you. Not only that, but he assumed that you wouldn't even really be able to get far from his home anyways, since there was a small team of ANBU assigned personally to you to make sure that you stayed in line outside of Kakashi's teachings.

        Not that you knew that, though.

        Late last night long after he went to bed, Kakashi laid under his blankets within the walls of his bedroom when he could just barely make out the sound of the guest bathroom door opening. You had waited an hour after hearing him leave for his bedroom to leave the bathroom, presumably to eat something he had assumed in the moment.

        He was right, though. This morning when he woke up, he found the guest bathroom to be vacant and slowly opened the door to your room to find you passed out in the bed, hair messily sprawled over the pillow and your legs spread out in a skydiver position. When he checked the fridge, he noticed that a little bit of his food was gone. (Kakashi didn't care, he knew he was never going to eat that plate of food that Ms. Hiyoko generously gave to him a few days ago. He hated chicken, but he didn't tell that to the little old lady who gave him a plate of her family dinner.)

        Kakashi was at least glad that you were eating and that you were sleeping. When he would visit the hospital to check up on your condition, the doctor told him that you weren't sleeping as long as you should have been if you were even sleeping at all. Perhaps that medication that you were on was helping your critical state if it was actually allowing you to sleep for once. The doctor had also told him that you weren't eating properly and that they were trying to get you to eat, but you continually refused their efforts. Your head had been hurting so bad during that time that you couldn't even focus on eating and enjoy yourself without stifling cries of pain.

        They had said that your condition only got this bad after your first encounter with Kakashi, in the trees. They were able to determine how long ago this change was, but not to the exact day. Kakashi told them that he assumed it was then, since you had hit your head and then your body reacted horribly to the impact.

        Kakashi sighed. He was glad that at least now, you were getting help from professionals.

        "Kakashi-sensei," Naruto finally made his way beside his teacher with Sakura, who was panting. "How have you been, sensei?" Naruto asked of his teacher. "I heard that (Name) is living with you now!"

        Kakashi raised a brow. "Does everyone know about this?" Kakashi hoped that no-one was spreading any rumors, but after he thought about it, he honestly did not care about the gossip of others and forgot about the idea.

        "Only a few shinobi. Not everyone, but a considerable amount," Sakura answered, talking over Naruto who was about to answer himself.

        Kakashi hummed. "I suppose that's fine. Just don't spread it around any more than it needs to be. I don't want shinobi or civilians coming up to my doorstep and causing a ruckus. (Name) is already on edge as-is, and I don't want to make it worse."

        Naruto blinked at Kakashi, as did Sakura. Then they looked at each other, sharing the same surprised look. "Well, what's wrong with her?"

        Kakashi inwardly sighed at having to tell more people the same thing again, but he ignored it and gave both of his students a serious look as he spoke. "(Name)'s locked herself in the bathroom and won't come out. Fortunately enough, she left the bathroom over the night and crashed in the guest bedroom to sleep. I'm happy about that, since she hasn't been sleeping an inch ever since we brought her here, and even before that." Kakashi inhaled and then let out a heavy, stressed sigh. "She'll be fine. I just don't want any visitors coming to my home for a while, I don't want her to freak out."

        Naruto snorted a few seconds later. "She's like a cat. Right, Sakura-chan? Heheheh—OW!"

        Sakura hit Naruto over the head with her fist, growling at the boy. "Be sensitive, Naruto! (Name) is probably very frightened right now, we don't know what's going through her head!"

        Kakashi chuckled at his students, continuing to walk down the street with them. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of her, you two don't need to concern yourself with it. After all, I knew her when we were kids."

        Sakura looked up at her teacher, smiling at him. Naruto caught up with Sakura after furiously rubbing the pain away from the top of his head. "Kakashi-sensei, can you tell us more about her? You didn't really tell us much when we were bringing her here," Sakura cautiously asked, hesitance but also curiosity in her voice.

        Kakashi put his hands in his pockets, making his way over to the library. That's where he was headed in the first place after he ate some breakfast at a small diner near his house. Kakashi opened up the front door and the bell ringed, signalling his appearance in the library. Sakura and Naruto thanked Kakashi for the kindness and headed in, Kakashi casually walking in after the two. The librarian waved a hello to Kakashi, and Kakashi eye-smiled at the old woman before heading over to a random section and grabbing a book to read.

        "Well," Kakashi began, "There's a lot to tell about the woman." Kakashi quietly chuckled at Sakura, respecting the library's "no loud voices" rule. He sat at a circular table in the very back of the library, setting the book on the tabletop. Naruto and Sakura followed suite, sitting at the table without any books and instead opting to listen to Kakashi.

        "You can tell us whatever you choose to tell us, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura kindly told the older man. Naruto grinned at his teacher, showing that he felt the same way. The two students didn't want to walk over the boundary line on the sensitive topic with their teacher, but they were eager to know more about this Akatsuki woman.

        Kakashi put his chin in his hand and inhaled, then deeply exhaled once again. "Well, I guess I better tell you where it first started."

 

 

Nineteen Years Ago

 

"I first met (Name) when I was twelve years old. This was nineteen years ago."

        Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were all picking up garbage in the park as a community service task with Minato Namikaze—

"My sensei."

        Obito complained his mouth off to Rin and Minato about how he wanted to go on a real mission instead of picking up garbage and saving runaway cats constantly. Obito's frustration on the subject was felt by me as well, but I, being the foolish child that I was, denied to tell Obito this, and instead got angry at him for complaining. Obito was, after all, a very talkative kid, and he could talk all day about any subject if you asked him to. Minato-sensei was not in a rush to go on any real missions, since he felt that the three of us were not ready. However, in the moment, I always thought that I was ready for anything—so long as the task stayed within the boundaries of the rules.

        As a response to Obito's continuous complaints, being the argumentative boy that I was, decided to start yelling at him for being such a frustrating teammate. I can remember the two of us going head to head, and Obito tell me that when he would get older, he'd be Hokage, so there would be no way that I'd be able to punch him in the face for being so irritating.

Kakashi chuckled.

        "Who is that girl over there?" I could remember Rin asking us.

        I looked over in the direction that she was looking in, and I remember it as clear as day. There was (Name), walking alongside Lord Third, who seemed to be having a very deep conversation with her. Now, while all three of us were twelve, (Name) was about ten and a half, perhaps eleven at most—(Name) never told us how old she was, but that was the age that I think she was around at the time.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto interrupted. "Why didn't (Name) ever tell you how old she was?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Well, Naruto, it's because (Name) didn't know."

"She didn't even know how old she was? Does that mean that she doesn't know how old she is now?" Sakura joined in, confusion lacing her voice.

"I don't think she does. We all know that she is most definitely two years younger than my generation of shinobi, but nothing is confirmed. The reasoning behind this is because (Name) does not know where she came from, or what family she belonged to. To this day, I still think that she doesn't know." Kakashi answered.

Naruto frowned at hearing this. "That's... that's horrible!" He sympathetically said, empathy in his tone. "I know how she feels, then..."

        My first impression of (Name) was that she seemed like a meek girl, so small that someone could trip over her from how short she was. I thought that she was a sneaky kid from the start, too—she seemed like a snake to me, for some reason. But I was soon proved wrong after talking to her on more occasions. She just seemed like she was desperate to fit in—and this bothered me.

        When (Name) was first retrieved by Konoha, she was found near the outskirts of Amegakure. Cold, hungry, alone and confused—I cannot imagine what that must feel like, to feel that way for years on end. No family, no friends, no one to talk to—for over seventy percent of your life on this earth, all alone. Danzo had spies lurking all around the nearby areas of the Leaf, and he had his connections for sure. The spies in the area around Amegakure found (Name), and recognized her to have kekkei-genkai, but they could not retrieve her by themselves. Lord Third was informed of this, and so he handpicked a child within Konoha to persuade her to come to the village.

        And that child was Obito Uchiha, my friend.

        Ever since that point, (Name) had been drawn to Obito. For Obito was perhaps the first child (Name)'s age that ever spoke to her on a personal level, and ever since then the girl was hooked. They had a rough relationship at start, like brother and sister—always shoving each other around and teasing each other—but that developed into something different over time. They eventually did almost everything together when they weren't busy; they would go to the parlor together, Obito would teach her how to read, (Name) would teach Obito how to do things like juggling and how to have fun her way. They'd train together, they would invite each other over to their homes. They were best friends.

        The home that (Name) lived in was a very small, compact apartment near the outskirts of the village. It was paid for by the Hokage, who knew that (Name) had nothing to help her in her pocket. Lord Third was very generous to (Name), and even though he seemed to have a big heart for children, I can't fathom to understand why he sent children to war, or why he let (Name) become a shinobi when the rules say that you have to be born in Konoha to be a leaf ninja. Perhaps Lord Third recognized (Name)'s want to become a shinobi, and he gave (Name) a pass.

        Although she had a late entrance to the shinobi world, she caught on very fast and went through extensive learning with a tutor who'd help her read, do mathematics, science, and everything that you'd learn in school to become shinobi. (Name), knowing nothing about the world that she was born into, was eager to learn about it, and thirsted for the knowledge that was given to her. She studied from day to knight, and was relentless in her race to catch up with the other kids. That is when she passed her exam, and was placed into Asuma, Kurenai, and Raido's team.

        All (Name) wanted as a child was to be like the others—to fit in and to make friends, and to become something that she didn't know she could become growing up. She wanted to be a shinobi, and she wanted to be alongside Obito. However, when Obito died... (Name) was absolutely heartbroken. (Name) slowly became the person that we know today—withdrawn and not ready to admit her feelings to others. However, the point where she became an angry, hardened person, I do not know. But (Name) lost her sense of purpose as a shinobi when Obito died, and that's why she left the village not long afterwards. I think that's also why she joined the Akatsuki, but I can't be sure.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said in a small voice. "Do you have any close memories with (Name)?"

Kakashi blinked at the young, pink-haired girl.

        There was one memory.

        A single memory where he could remember himself not being so stuck in his own head as he usually was.

 

 

        It was during the wintertime in Konoha, and the snow that had fallen was laying over the village like a thick, two-feet thick blanket. It coated the rooftops and the normally green ground, and the cold, frosty air seemed foreign to one such girl.

        Kakashi had just got done eating his dinner within the warm sanctum of his home and decided to leave to walk around. He was bored and didn't feel that tired, so he figured that he might as well leave the house. The young boy was dressed in a thick coat with sweatpants that he tucked into his snowshoes, and a scarf that was wrapped around his neck.

        Young Kakashi wondered how animals could survive in this freezing winter with the fur on their back alone. Kakashi was a pale boy, so he knew himself to get cold in below temperatures quite easily, and he could not stand being in the cold for too long. However, he eventually taught himself to ignore the feeling. If he were to do missions in this cold, he needed to get used to it as a shinobi should.

        Kakashi found himself walking down the shoveled pathways towards the park. The park where he'd play before his father died.

        As he found himself in front of the playground equipment, he let his eyes wander to the swing set. The memory of him swinging while his father pushed him and they both laughed with each other flashed in his mind, and Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed. The bitterness that Kakashi felt in his heart from his father's suicide plagued him, and all he felt was anger and resentment towards the man who was supposed to be there for him as a father.

        Kakashi, however, walked over towards the swings, and held one of the chains in his gloved hand. He stared at the seat for a while before moving to sit in it, and he stared straight ahead, looking over the lake that the playground sat in front of him. It was frozen over and snow was laying on top of the thick sheet of ice. Earlier today, many citizens were having a blast skating on it. Kakashi did not see the point.

        A gasp followed by a quiet sob interrupted the silence, and Kakashi whipped his head over towards the direction that it came from.

        The small, three by three foot intersection where all of the slides came together in the center of the playground was where it came from. Kakashi thought about leaving. He could pretend that he was never there at the playground to avoid having to see the person. But curiosity got the better of the boy, and Kakashi found himself silently climbing into one of the yellow slides and up the winding tube to find out who the person was. As he climbed upwards on his hands and knees, the sound of the sobbing became louder, and he could make it out to be a kid who seemed to be near his age.

        Poking his head through the top of the slide and placing both of his gloved hands flat on the floor of the intersection, Kakashi's eyes widened.

        It was you, bare hands pressed tightly to your face as you cried into your knees. You were trembling, and you seemed to think that you were alone in the playground. Little did you know that Kakashi Hatake was right beside you, staring at your side.

        "(Name)?" He questioned, eyes furrowing in confusion.

        You gasped. Not from crying, but out of shock and surprise at not being alone, and hearing a very familiar voice right behind your ear. Whipping your upper body around to lock eyes with Kakashi, your red, tearful eyes widened at who had caught you. "Kakashi!" You tried to act normal, but your wobbly voice and swollen throat made it impossible. Another sob left you and more tears cascaded down your cheeks, but you tried to stifle the sob and swiped the tears off of your cheeks and off your chin in hurried movements. Your efforts failed though, because even more tears escaped from your eyes.

        Kakashi stayed where he was, in between the entrance to the intersection and his lower body hanging out within the top of the slide. He watched your efforts and his eyes followed the tears dripping from your chin. Quickly looking back up to your eyes, you sniffled and looked away from the Hatake boy. Hugging your knees closer to your chest, you tightly shut your eyes, to try and rid yourself of the tears, to no avail.

        "What is it, Kakashi?" You whimpered, no longer trying to hide your crying. You had no idea how long Kakashi was there staring at your crying. He could have seen everything, so what was there to hide?

        Kakashi cautiously climbed into the intersection, his movements slow and calculated. He kept his eyes locked onto your face, though you did not notice since you were busy staring at your knees. Carefully moving to sit on the other side of the intersection, he stretched his legs out as much as he could in the small and cramped space until the tips of his boots touched the wall opposite of him. His legs were still considerably bent, so you felt a jolt of surprise when his knees brushed against yours.

        Relaxing so that his back was pressed against the wall, he swallowed underneath his mask and tipped his chin upwards before letting his onyx orbs look over to you from under his silver hair that hung over his eyes. You were staring at him with reddened eyes ever since his knees brushed against your own. You were very surprised to see him sitting here with you in this small, three foot by three foot box that hung over the white, snowy ground outside of the slides. He didn't seem like he ever wanted to talk to you, so this was truly a shocker for you.

        "Why are you sitting there? Shouldn't you be at home with your parents?" You quietly sobbed out, trembling once again.

        Kakashi kept staring at your face. It was making you uncomfortable with how much he was staring at you, especially since you had a runny nose. "I don't have any parents," Kakashi bluntly told you from beneath his mask, tucking his scarf a little tighter around his shoulders and neck. "And I left my house to walk around, only to find you here."

        "If you're going to be mean to me, just go away!" You meekly whimpered, crossing your arms over your knees and tucking your face into them to hide yourself from Kakashi.

        Kakashi noticed this. Feeling a bit awkward, the Hatake boy decided to observe you instead of saying anything. He noticed that you were hardly wearing any clothes that suited this type of weather. Your hands were bare, and you wore a thin jacket with only your genin outfit underneath. No wonder you were trembling so harshly. Parting his lips underneath his mask, he quietly sighed through his nose.

        A thick, heavy material fell over your shoulders, and your back jolted in surprise. Slowly lifting up your head, you looked over your shoulder at what was wrapped around you. It was Kakashi's thick snow coat. Snapping your head over to look at the boy, you saw that he had his head turned in the other direction, avoiding eye contact with you. His eyes were downward and he seemed to be... embarrassed? Shy? You couldn't tell. All that you knew was that he went through the trouble of unzipping his precious coat and wrapped it around your smaller figure, making sure to pull it snugly around your shoulders before retracting his hands.

        The silver-headed boy sneaked a glanced at you from the corner of his eye. When he noticed that you were gazing at him with wide eyes and parted lips, he snapped his head over to you. "What?" He accusingly said. "You're not wearing a thick enough jacket! I hate being in the cold, so—so there." He brusquely gestured towards the coat and haughtily crossed his arms, turning his head away from you again and dipping his chin downwards into his scarf.

        A small smile curled on your lips, and you looked down. You sneaked a glance back up at Kakashi and internally jumped when you saw that he was already staring at you from the corner of his eye and snapped your eyes back down. Your cheeks turned red at the exchange, but despite that, you said in a quiet, timid voice:

        "Thank you..."

        Kakashi dipped his chin down a little more. "... You're welcome." He answered in a quiet tone as well. His curiosity got the better of him, though. "Why were you crying?"

        You pulled his jacket tighter around your form. Too embarrassed to tell him, you turned your chin away and looked down at the wall.

        "(Name)," He said, only a little more firmly.

        You sighed, and felt your face reddening in shame. Silently, you turned your chin back towards him, but turned your face completely to the side to point at the side of your jaw that Kakashi could not see during the entire exchange between you two. Your jaw had a very dark bruise which looked to be very large compared to your small, childish face.

        It was fist-shaped.

        "Who hit you?" Kakashi interrogated, his voice becoming monotone. His eyes never left the bruise until you turned your head away so that you weren't craning your neck. "Two chunin ganged up on me when I was buying myself some food to bring home. They thought that I was stupid for not even knowing how to read before I entered the village." Bringing up the subject made your voice start to wobble again. "And they told me..." Your words started to jumble together and it became high pitched as tears collected in your eyes and your breathing became rugged. "They told me that I didn't have parents because I was s-so s-stupid, so they aban-don-ed me!" A sob left your form again, and you cupped your hands over your face once more.

        Kakashi felt anger in the pit of his stomach at your confession. For what reason, he did not know. Perhaps he felt empathy for you because of you not having any parents. But he did not understand why, since he was so angry at his father for what happened. But in that moment, Kakashi felt like he needed to do something for you.

        "Come on," Kakashi gestured to you, tugging on your forearm. "I'm going to bring you home." You gasped and let Kakashi guide you out of the slide through your tearful state. As Kakashi walked you home, he let his eyes scan everything in the streets. There was hardly anyone about, but he was making sure that no other stupid kids would gang up on you. Not with Kakashi around.

        "What did they look like?" Kakashi asked you as you headed up the steps to your small apartment. You looked over your shoulder with a confused look on your face. "Huh?" You wondered, furrowing your brows.

        "The bullies," Kakashi said, looking up at you with his chin upturned. You glanced left and right, trying to remember. It all happened so fast... your memory was a bit foggy from the adrenaline. "Um... well, both of them had brown hair, and green eyes. They looked like siblings. Their voices were really snooty and one of them had a couple freckles over his right cheek."

        Kakashi nodded, and began to walk off.

        "Oh, wait! Kakashi!" You called out to the boy, realizing that his coat was still wrapped around you. "Your coat!"

        Kakashi flippantly waved over his shoulder. "You can keep it. I have another one at home."

        As the boy walked off down the snow-ridden street, you sniffled again, staring after him for a while before unlocking the door to your small abode and shutting the door behind you.

 

        The next day when Kakashi was making his way through the streets to meet up with his team in the woods for a practice run, Kakashi found himself looking over everyone that crossed his path. He saw mothers, fathers, children, old people, shop owners and shinobi of the like—but not the two siblings that you had described to him before. Kakashi exhaled through his nose. He'd find them eventually.

        Kakashi made his way towards the training fields where his team usually met up and greeted his sensei, Minato.

        He sparred with Obito and ignored the Uchiha's taunts all throughout the day, all the while feeding into the situation by arguing with the boy throughout training. But at the end of the day, a very tired Minato-sensei waved his hands and separated the two boys from fighting anymore. "Alright, the spar is over, boys! Who wants to go out to eat? I'm starved!"

        Obito gruffly shook himself off and said, "Hmmph!"

        Kakashi crossed his arms and turned his head away from everyone.

        Rin shared a look with Minato-sensei, and a sheepish smile formed on her face. "I do, Minato-sensei," She gently confirmed, rubbing her tummy. "I'm very hungry. Aren't you hungry, Obito?" The Uchiha boy looked over at Rin. In response, his angry expression morphed into a smile. "Yeah," He agreed. "I'm pretty hungry. OH—can we go to Ichiraku's?! Can we, Minato-sensei?" He jumped to face Minato, holding his fists out and grinning up at his teacher with hope in his eyes.

        Minato smiled, glad that the situation was diffused. "Sure thing," He laughed, beginning to guide his team back towards the village. Kakashi still felt a bit tense and irritated from what had just happened. The Hatake kept his eyes straight forward, never bothering to strike up conversation with the others as per usual. It was typical of him, but Minato and Rin noticed that he was on edge.

        When the four of them made their way to Ichiraku's Ramen, Rin turned to Kakashi as they headed inside. "Are you alright, Kakashi-kun?" She shyly questioned, a slight hint of red on her cheeks but her eyes were concerned for the boy that she had a crush on. Kakashi glanced at Rin, but waved her off. "I'm fine," He mumbled, climbing into one of the bar stools as the others followed suite.

        Ichiraku greeted Team Minato with a wide grin on his face. "Heya, Minato! What'll it be for you and your kids?"

        Obito spoke before Minato could. "OH! I'd like some tonkotsu, please!"

        Ichiraku chuckled. "Okay. And for you, little miss?" He turned his attention to Rin, who smiled kindly to the restaurant owner. "I'd like some miso ramen, please."

        "For you?" Ichiraku turned to Kakashi, who was staring at the counter top. Kakashi glanced up at Ichiraku before lowly saying, "I don't really want any." Ichiraku blinked at the straightforwardness, and Minato began to sweat at such a response. Stuttering, Minato looked over at Ichiraku. "Just give him what Obito is ordering, the tonkotsu ramen. I'll have the same, but can you put extra pork in it?"

        Ichiraku chuckled, instantly forgetting the whole exchange between himself and Kakashi. "Sure thing, Minato. I'll have it right up soon!" And like that, he turned away and began to make the orders. Obito began chattering to Rin and Minato, talking about nonsensical things. However, Kakashi was still zoned out, focusing on literally anything else but what Obito had to say to the others.

        "... that was so funny last night!" A voice broke through Kakashi's thoughts, and Kakashi found himself beginning to listen to the conversation on the other side of the bar counter instead of the one on his side.

        "Yeah, it was! Did you see how hard she fell to the ground? It was like she had no feet at all!" The two voices intermingled and laughed with each other, snorting and slapping their knees. Snapping his eyes over to the other side of the bar, he found himself looking at two chunin boys who fit the exact description that you had given him last night. They looked even uglier than you described them to look. Kakashi, with his back straight and his hands placed on his thighs, dipped his chin down to stare at the two brothers through his bangs.

        He watched as they finished their meals and left a tip before leaving the small restaurant, still laughing to themselves about the entire ordeal. Kakashi's feet began to follow them without him even realizing, and his team failed to notice that Kakashi left the restaurant altogether.

        Following the two brothers, Kakashi began to walk faster... and faster, until he dropped into a full-on sprint. He sprinted all the way until he was just within range of the boys and so he jumped into the air and drop-kicked one of the boys with the bottom of his sandal. The boy plummeted and fell face-first into the snow, yelping as he did so.

        As for his brother, the one with freckles on one of his cheeks, he turned to face Kakashi. "Hey!" He shouted, before aiming a punch at the shorter boy. Kakashi dodged his fist and latched his hands onto the chunin's wrist before slinging him into the air and slamming him onto his back in the snow. The freckled boy rolled, and Kakashi fixed his footing before launching a hard, painful kick into the boy's stomach, leaving him breathless.

        The freckled boy's other brother finally got up and took Kakashi by surprise, beginning to hold the silver-haired boy in a strangling position. Grunting at this, Kakashi wrestled for dominance in the struggle, and kicked the boy behind him in the knee. The boy dropped onto that knee in the snow, loosening his grip on the Hatake. Taking his chance, Kakashi drew his fist back and planted it firmly in the bully's nose. A dull crack was heard, and the boy fell back to the ground, clutching his bleeding nose in his hands as blood trickled through the cracks of his fingers and down his hands.

        "KAKASHI!" Minato-sensei shouted from behind him, but Kakashi ignored the man. Jumping down to pin the groaning boy to the snow, Kakashi continued to land harsh punches onto the bully's face, getting blood on his knuckles from the bully's nosebleed.

        Civilians were shouting and gasping at the scene in front of them, rushing over to separate Kakashi from the chunin. But before they could, two lithe arms reached from behind Kakashi to harshly pull him up from under his armpits and defuse the situation. Kakashi struggled against Minato, but upon finding that it was his teacher, Kakashi stopped struggling and instead stared at the two bullies with an angry glint in his eyes.

        "KAKASHI!" Minato shouted at his student, absolutely fuming. "Why did you do this to these two kids?! They've never done anything to you! Apologize to them right now!"

        Obito and Rin raced past Minato and Kakashi to help the two chunin up. They were acting pathetic to Kakashi, in his eyes. How do you like it? He wondered to himself, narrowing his eyes at the two when the freckled brother scowled in anger at the silver-headed boy who was being held back by his teacher.

        Harshly puffing out exhales through his nose, Kakashi remained silent.

        "Kakashi! Apologize!" Minato pushed, jostling Kakashi in his arms.

        "I hope you heal soon," Kakashi said in a threatening tone to the bullies, his eyes still narrowed and glinting with vengeance. Forcing himself out of Minato's arms, Kakashi stepped away from his teacher. Obito and Rin were gaping at Kakashi, their eyes wide with shock at their teammate. Why would he do this to these boys?

        Scoffing at everyone—even the civilians who were crowding around Team Minato and the two chunin boys—Kakashi whirled around and stomped away from the sight.

        "Kakashi!" Minato called after his student, only for Kakashi to ignore his teacher and continue on his trek home.

        Vengeance felt good.

 

 

        "Oh my goodness!" Sakura cupped her hands over her mouth. "You broke some kids nose to protect (Name)'s pride?" Naruto's jaw was hanging. Throughout the entire story, the blond was completely enraptured in Kakashi's tale, and Naruto was never able to pay attention for long.

        Kakashi chuckled and scratched at his temple with his index finger. "Heheheh, yeah, I did. I might have taken it a bit too far, though... breaking his nose in front of everyone in the middle of the street."

        "Are you kidding?" Naruto grinned. "The way you handled it was so epic! I'd do that!" He thrust his thumb into his chest.

        Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend and turned to look at him. "Naruto, you already have."

        Naruto blinked at the girl. "I did?"

        Sakura groaned loudly, and the librarian shushed her from the front of the library. At that, all three of them quietly laughed and giggled with each other. Kakashi hummed with a small smile on his face. That was the one memory that he had of him being nice to you, but it didn't feel like enough. He just wished that from the time you met him and left Konoha, he wished that he treated you better.


	33. Reunion

        Kakashi thought that he didn't want anyone to swarm his apartment when (Name) started living with him.

        Kakashi had made a pit stop over at the hospital so that the man could pick up the rest of (Name)'s belongings, namely a long green scarf that (Name) fought Kakashi in, after talking to Sakura and Naruto. It had some tears and it looked a bit worn, but Kakashi supposed that that's what happens when you're an Akatsuki member that's constantly fighting and falling out of trees.

        However, the moment that Kakashi walked up the stairway to the floor that his apartment was on, the man instantly knew that something was up. Kakashi was an ANBU once - he could sense trouble... it was a gut feeling. And lo and behold, two ANBU nin phased out of nowhere in front of Kakashi. The man frowned beneath his mask.

        "Kakashi Hatake," one of them spoke up. "It seems that you have some unexpected visitors."

        Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed in befuddlement. "Visitors?"

        And out of nowhere, a deep, growl-like voice met with Kakashi's hypersensitive ears.

        "I think your friend, means us."

        Kakashi whirled around, only to come face-to-face with three Kumogakure nin. Kakashi felt downright baffled. This sudden visit by the ANBU and now these strangers from the Lightning Country was making the Hatake's head hurt. Tensing up and spreading his feet a bit, the black-eyed man looked all three of these strangers up and down.

        All three of them were men that had shaggy, (color) hair, and (color) eyes. The nin on the right had an undercut, and the one on the left had tattoos on the side of his face. As for the Kumo nin in the middle, he had just regular, short and shaggy hair that was similar to Obito's in length, but definitely messier. The Kumo nin on the right had a sharp, defined jawline, and the one on the left had a round face and a bit of a thick stature - but beneath his skin, muscles were clearly imprinted. The three of them were completely barefooted, and they all had very defined muscles beneath their clothes.

        On top of that, they were very tall. Kakashi estimated that they were probably around 6'5, compared to Kakashi's 5'11. And lastly, even though they appeared to be Kumo nin - they did not wear the custom Kumogakure uniform. They appeared to all be from the same clan within Kumo, judging by this and their similar looks. Their attire consisted of tight-fitting spandex long-sleeves that went all the way up to the middle of their necks, similar to Konohagakure's undershirt beneath the trademark green vest. But unlike the loose-fitting dark blue undershirt that Kakashi wore at the moment, theirs was a dark brown.

        As for their pants, they were a bit baggy. The longer the pant legs descended down their limbs, the more the opening at the bottom became larger. (Similar to the pants that Hashirama Senju wears as a child.) The pants were black, with thin stripes going down them that were a caramel color. Their pants were also fastened tight above their waists with a criss-crossed, white ribbon. Beneath their pant legs that stopped mid-calf, was wrappings around their skin that went down to their ankles - similar to Konoha's white-ribboned bandages, only red. Their white, criss-crossed belts and red bandages were signature of the Kumogakure village.

        All three of these Kumo nin looked mean. "Who are you?" Kakashi questioned, still holding (Name)'s belongings in his arms.

        "My name is Baaton," The man in the middle introduced, speaking up first.

        "The man with the undercut is Maharoda." At the mention of his name, Maharoda dipped his chin.

        "And the man with the tattoos is Saitihi." Saitihi snorted, and then spat some awful, nasty looking spit onto the ground. Kakashi felt disgusted.

        "We are three members of the Jūryoku clan from the Village Hidden in the Clouds." Baaton informed, his voice seemingly very curt and to the point, and that deep voice that Kakashi heard earlier. Kakashi guessed that this man was the main spokesperson. "And we're here to introduce ourselves to the little lady in your suite." He drawled, his voice curling into a taunt.

        Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "What does a trio of Kumogakure nin want with her?" He interrogated, his voice distrusting.

        "The Hokage informed the Raikage of (Name)'s place here in Konoha," The ANBU behind Kakashi and Sakura filled in. "They have clan business with the prisoner."

        "She is not a prisoner." Kakashi calmly stated, though he was very annoyed with the ANBU's choice of wording. Kakashi expected no less of them, though. ANBU men and women were known to be unfair and cruel.

        Kakashi was no exception, once upon a time.

        "'Clan business'?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the ANBU, and then turned back over to the three men in front of him. "You mean to say that (Name) is from your clan? The Jūryoku clan?"

        Baaton closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes." He confirmed. "We have suspicion as to what (Name)'s official identity is."

        Maharoda crossed his arms and caught eye contact with Kakashi. For the briefest moment, the Hatake felt a hint of familiarity within those smoldering (color) eyes of his.

        "I..." Kakashi trailed off. He would gladly let these three men speak with (Name), but Kakashi had business with the woman first. The man felt compromised.

        Seeing that there was no more to discuss with Kakashi and the three clansmen, the two ANBU nin phased out of sight. Then, it was just Kakashi and the three Jūryoku men.

        "Alright. If I'm going to let you into my apartment, you have to understand these three things: (Name) is very short-tempered, and will snap at you if you say something. She is very sensitive right now. Two - (Name) might not welcome you right away. And... three, she might throw something at you. Just be wary of that."

        All three of the clansmen began to snort at everything that Kakashi just relayed to them. Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

        "Mister Hatake, we are more than ready for anything that (Name) will put up against us. Trust me." Saitihi wolfishly grinned at Kakashi, flashing all of his teeth.

        Sighing, Kakashi internally grumbled before unlocking the door to his apartment, and stepping aside to let all three of the men in.

        Shutting the door behind them, Kakashi took off his sandals and headed into the hallway where he last found you sleeping in the guest bed. When he slid open the door to the bedroom, however, you were nowhere to be found. Furrowing his brows, Kakashi quickly set your things down on your bed and walked over to the guest bathroom. "(Name)?"

        Nothing.

        "She's not in the bathroom, Hatake." Baaton cut in, walking past Kakashi and back into the guest bedroom. Curious, Kakashi followed the man into the bedroom, watching as he slid open the two doors to the closet.

        A roar of fury made Kakashi's eyes widen. The silver-headed ninja watched you lunged out of the walking closet from the ceiling and reared your fist back to strike the man's face mid-air. In that split second, the man had just as quickly snatched up your small, strong fist in his much larger masculine one, and flipped you over his shoulder onto the bed. Gasping, your body bounced up and down on the mattress a couple times from the force of the impact, but it wasn't something you couldn't handle.

        Kakashi swallowed. "Hey, don't be so rough with her!" He defended you, stepping in front of Baaton. "She's still healing from an injury of hers!"

        Baaton sneered and rolled his eyes. "It's fine. She is a Jūryoku clanswoman! She can handle it."

        The rest of the clansmen marched into the bedroom to see what had happened. In Kakashi's mind, the silver-headed man was now a bit annoyed. These men come into my home and start roughing up (Name)? I don't think so!

        Snarling like a rabid dog, you scrambled to your feet on the floor and held your fists up to your mouth. "What do you want?"

        Baaton took a step forward. "We're not here to fight, but do you really want to take all three of us on?" He questioned. "I don't think you'd want to."

        You didn't falter. "Shut the fuck up, you monkey-brain. I'm not in the mood for talk."

        Kakashi sucked in a breath.

        You glanced at Kakashi and narrowed your eyes at the man. "Who are these men?! What do they want with me?"

        "We know who you are, (Name)." Maharoda spoke up, stepping forward as well. "You're from our clan. You're a member of the Jūryoku clan, (Name)."

        Uncertainty flashed in your (color) orbs, which were the same color as the man with the undercut's eyes. "What are you talking about?"

        "My name is Maharoda." He introduced himself. "I... uh, you..." He seemed to have trouble saying what he wanted to say. "You are... my little sister," Maharoda finally spit out, his (color) eyes locking on to you. He seemed a bit shocked himself, but he also felt a bit unsure. Not about the two of you being siblings, but because Maharoda really wanted to hug you... and you didn't look like you wanted one.

        Your eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and you gasped. Lowering your fists, you stared right back at Maharoda.

        Little sister.

        "We should leave." Baaton grunted, before heading out of the room with Saihiti. Kakashi lingered for some moments, staring at (Name) with furrowed brows. Then, he decided to leave, shutting the door behind him.

        Your entire life, you grew up believing that you had no family. Your entire life, you grew up believing that they weren't going to come for you. You always believed that they ditched you, and that's why you grew up without a family.

        But you certainly had a family.

        And they came for you.

        "You're... my brother?" You breathed, astonished.

        Maharoda furrowed his brows and gave a hesitant smile, which eventually grew into a grin. His (color) eyes crinkled at the corners. "It's... rather hard for me to believe as well... (Name)." Maharoda affectionately added, his grin fading into a small smile that was accompanied with an embarrassed blush.

        "Hard to believe?" You repeated, confused at his wording. "What do you mean?"

        "Well... my entire life, I always believed that I never had any family." Maharoda gently informed. The man with the shaggy undercut twiddled his fingers behind his back before rubbing the back of his neck. Maharoda wasn't normally meek like this, but... in front of you, he felt like he was a shy five year old again.

        "You mean... there's no parents? We have no parents?" You questioned. Your guarded stance had gradually faded away into something of hesitance, just like Maharoda's. You stood close to the wall, hands hanging by your sides.

        Maharoda shook his head. "You tell me, (Name)."

        You huffed out some air. "There's nothing to tell..." you trailed off, "... Maharoda."

        What was wrong with you? This whole scene felt... so strange. You couldn't describe how you felt. Elated? Shy? Inquisitive? Hesitant? It was simply a mold of everything related to those four adjectives, not just one thing at once. You felt... numb. Not emotionally, but...

        Your eyes started to burn. "I always thought that I didn't have any family either, and if I did, none of you would come for me." You revealed to your newfound brother, whose wide eyes began to water as well. His expression told you that he was moved by your words. Clearly, the two of you certainly felt the same about the subject.

        "Well, here I am," his deep voice wobbled, and he took a tentative step forward, arms outstretched.

        Cautiously, as if trying on a new pair of clothes, you stepped towards him and wrapped your arms around his much taller figure. The feeling of his comforting, muscular arms wrapping around your shoulders and his hand burying itself in your shaggy hair felt so foreign... so strange. You had never experienced such an intimate hug as this... no. Not a hug from a family member... from your brother. Suddenly, all of your troubles melted away into something of content happiness. The mere presence of Maharoda made you want to smile so wide... Maharoda felt like such a comforting figure, and it was exactly what you needed at the moment.

        You buried your tearful face into his chest, allowing Maharoda to hug you tightly. Maharoda silently cried with you, burying his nose in your hair. "All my life," He whispered into your hair, "I've always wanted someone I could relate with and talk to... and now, I've found you."

        You sniffed and let Maharoda rock you back and forth.

        "I'm glad to have met you." Maharoda finally mumbled, closing his eyes and continuing to gently sway the two of you as you both hugged. "But why... why did you turn s-rank, (Name)?" He quietly questioned, continuing to run his fingers through your hair. "I promise that I won't judge you."

        You shook your head in his chest. "I was forced into the Akatsuki." You answered, sighing.

        Pulling away from Maharoda, you moved to sit on your bed. "I apologize, but that's all that I'm willing to say for now, Maharoda."

        Maharoda sat beside you. "That's okay." He genuinely assured, wiping his tears away with his clothed wrist, and moving to swipe your own tears away with his thumbs. "I'd love to tell you about what life was like growing up in the Jūryoku clan and Kumo, if you're willing."

        You sniffled again and allowed him to get rid of your tears. "I'd like that." You sighed, beginning to feel a bit drowsy from crying.

        Maharoda smiled, and fell backwards on your mattress, staring up at the ceiling. "It was very hard, growing up without any family." He began. "I had to live with our cousins growing up. They weren't always fair, since I was their cousin, so they threw me on the back-burner a lot."

        "We have cousins?" You wondered aloud, staring up at the ceiling as well.

        "Yes," Maharoda confirmed. "Just two. They're our biological aunt's children, and they're twins. Their names are Cod and Cuda, and they're typical siblings. They're both the same age as me, but older than you."

        "How old are you, anyways?"

        "I am three years older than you. I am thirty-two." Maharoda chuckled. "But our aunt's name is Mihi. She's definitely not like your typical woman, that's what I'll tell you about her." Maharoda blew out a breath of air, as if thinking of a bad experience that he had with Mihi. "In fact, every single woman in the Jūryoku clan is not your run-of-the-mill woman. They're all very strong and really snappy." He chuckled. "Kind of like you, I guess. You know, since Kakashi said that you can be snappy at times."

        You rolled your eyes. "Only to him... and some other people." Hidan and Kakuzu.

        "Well, whether it's intentional or not, Jūryoku women are just born that way. Like it's hard-wired into their system, or something. I'm not sure, really... it could be the competition in the clan, as well."

        "What competition?" You inquired to your brother.

        "Well, competition to be the strongest." Maharoda told you, shrugging his shoulders on the mattress. "For a long time growing up, Cod and Cuda constantly tried to run me over so that they could be stronger than me, while they battled themselves. It's unfortunate, and the guilt that I wasn't as strong as some of my other clansmen plagued me for years... until eventually, I learned to just let it go. Everyone has their own strengths in their own way - it doesn't have to be defined just by physical means, like a lot of clansmen think."

        You blinked. Your brother was... very smart. You appreciated his words. Most clansmen were very stuck up and thought that they were better than most people - you were happy that the one person in the world who you realized was in fact your brother, was the smart one.

        "That's unfortunate." You said, furrowing your brows in thought.

        "We also have our own form of taijutsu that you have yet to learn." Maharoda grinned. "It's quite fun, actually."

        "Is it?" You questioned, turning your head to the side to look at the man.

        Maharoda looked over to you. "Yes." He grinned even wider. "Once you get out of that cuff on your ankle, I'd be happy to teach you."

        You blinked in realization. That's right - how long was Maharoda planning to stay here? "How long are you staying?"

        "Baaton, Saihiti, and myself will be renting a hotel room across the village from here. We'll be staying here until you're able to leave this apartment." Maharoda filled in, sitting up on the mattress and standing up to his feet. "We may not be able to visit too often, but we'll be here, so don't worry."

        "Are you going to take me back to Kumogakure after my cuff gets taken off?" You questioned, hope lacing your voice.

        Maharoda sighed and looked away from you. Immediately, you knew that what he said was going to let you down. "We can't. We can't take you anywhere until you're deemed a civilized citizen. And even after that, no one can just take you. You decide for yourself where you want to be."

        You huffed and rolled your eyes at the hypocrisy. "Well, I was forced here, and they didn't let me be where I wanted to be."

        Maharoda turned back to you and stared at you with a thoughtful look on his face. After a few silent seconds, Maharoda reached up and ruffled your already messy hair with his masculine, calloused hand. A small, sympathetic smile broke out on his face. "My dear (Name)," Maharoda began. "It was for the greater good. As far as everyone knows, you had a traumatic head injury that needed to be taken care of. On top of that... didn't you say that you were 'forced in' to the Akatsuki?" He pondered to you, his hand still on the back of your head.

        You blinked at his words. That... that was exactly right. "But it's not like I want to be here," you strained, aggressively gesturing to everything around you. "I never asked to be taken to Konoha. I never asked to be roomed and kept prisoner here, in Kakashi's house. I don't want to be near that man!" Your voice had raised a few octaves as you spoke, your frustration spilling out all over Maharoda's lap.

        Swallowing, you dipped your head and rubbed your tired eyes with your hands.

        Maharoda pulled his hand away from your hair. "That's okay if you don't want to be in Konoha. But what isn't okay, is avoiding confrontation."

        You glanced up at your brother in question.

        "I can tell that you feel frustration against Kakashi," Maharoda filled in. "It's written all over your posture, in your voice, and the way you talk about him."

        "How do you know that?" You inquired, feeling even more confused.

        "The Jūryoku clan has an ability of seismic sense that is achievable only by us. Using seismic sense, I am able to tell when someone is lying, scared, frustrated, happy... all of the essentials." Maharoda revealed.

        You stared at him in astonishment. "You mean that I can achieve seismic sense as well?"

        To this, Maharoda nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "You can only feel seismic sense through the bottoms of your feet."

        "That's so cool!" You cooed, awestruck. "It's like being a sensory type, but physically!"

        Maharoda chuckled. "Yes. It's an ability that not every Jūryoku clan member is born with, but because I have it, you have it. You probably just don't realize it yet." You smiled widely. You really wanted to learn this ability.

        "Only the Jūryoku clan is able to achieve this ability because of our affiliation with gravity," Maharoda explained. "Because we are able to rotate our sense of gravity, we are connected to the earth. And being connected to the earth means that we are connected to everything standing upon it. That is why we are able to 'see' using our seismic ability. Right now I can see those three Leaf nin talking to a man carrying a basket of fruit in the street downstairs."

        Blinking, you curiously walked over to the window and peered out of the curtains. Indeed, the exact scene that Maharoda had just described was happening downstairs. Amazed, you looked over your shoulder at Maharoda. "Wow," you breathed.

        Sitting back down on the bed beside Maharoda, the air in the room slowly became more serious. Maharoda stared off at the wall in front of the both of you, which had a mirror hanging on it. Maharoda wasn't paying attention to you in the mirror, but you took your chance to observe his features and your own. The both of you had the same nose and mouth, along with the same eyes and hair. Your eyes and hair were the same color, and the both of you shared the same hair texture. On top of that, the both of you had similar beauty marks over your skin.

        Maharoda finally glanced at you in the mirror. Shyly, your eyes shot down away from him.

        "I'm sure you're asking a lot of questions right now," Maharoda finally said.

        You stayed silent, but your silence was a confirmation to the man. To this, Maharoda exhaled deeply through his mouth. "... How we're siblings, exactly... and how the both of us came to be separated."

        You nodded without saying a word. In the mirror, Maharoda kept gazing at you in silence, contemplating how he was going to form his next words.

        "We were separated by our parents during the starting events of the Third Shinobi World War." Maharoda quietly told you. "Both of our parents slipped out of Kumogakure with you one late night. At the time, Kumo was not on the best of terms with the Mist Village, so this was reeking of trouble from the very start." Maharoda sighed. "Our parents fled Kumo with you and got just to the outskirts of the Hidden Rain village when some Mist nin, who had tailed our parents from the start of their journey, finally made their move and attacked them."

        "Didn't they have the seismic sense though? Wouldn't they have been able to tell if they were being followed?" You wondered, beginning to feel stressed at how the story was coming out.

        "No." Maharoda denied. "Neither of them had the seismic sense. It's a recessive gene in our family, on both sides... So neither of them were born with the sense."

        You frowned.

        "When the Mist nin attacked our parents, you were left behind. They didn't attack you, because they knew you were just an infant who would be dead soon anyways... We got all of this information by interrogating some Mist nin that we caught on our land a few days later. But by the time our clansmen got the information, it was already too late to go and find you. War was brewing, and we didn't want to lose anymore clansmen."

        Something wasn't right with Maharoda's story, you realized. Maharoda left out one detail.

        "Why didn't our parents take you with them?" You inquired to your brother.

        Maharoda sighed. "I don't know. That's something that haunts me all the time. I often wonder if they didn't think... that I was a good enough child for them. But... that seems a bit nonsensical. Even if it was true, I wouldn't hold it against you. After all, you didn't choose to be born of traitor parents."

        You huffed. "I never thought that I'd be hearing about them," you sighed. "What were they like? Did Mihi ever tell you?"

        "She told me once," Maharoda thought back. "She said that they were both very reserved members of the clan. Our sister, Mihi's brother, was a very aggressive individual when she wanted to be, though. Mihi said that once, our mother gave Mihi a black eye and a broken nose in a fight that lasted for just five seconds."

        "I don't know if I believe that..." you curled your lip in distrust. "I think Mihi's a liar."

        "Oh, I don't." Maharoda immediately said, completely casual. "You'll believe her once you meet the rest of the clanswomen."

        "Are the clansmen as aggressive as the women?" You wondered aloud.

        "Some of them are, some of them aren't. The women are aggressive, the men are very arrogant. I don't think I am, though. As a child and teenager I certainly bore the typical arrogant attitude of a Jūryoku child, but that ebbed away with maturity. I'm not saying that everyone else is mature, but I chose my own path... and, (Name)?"

        You looked up at him.

        Maharoda put his hands on your shoulders and squeezed with his callous hands. "I don't want you to ignore Kakashi's feelings anymore. I know what's going on, and... I don't like it. Kakashi is trying his hardest to get you to speak to him, and I can tell that he feels genuine guilt whenever he talks about you. His heart rate spikes whenever he mentions your name, or whenever we talked about you. He wants to be your friend. He wants you to listen to him. I think that you should."

        "But... he was so callous to me when we were kids..." You furrowed your eyebrows and felt your eyes beginning to water.

        "I know, (Name). I know. But... were you listening to my story?" Maharoda questioned. "I was callous as a boy, too. I said things to girls that I liked and people that wanted to befriend me... that weren't admirable. I was going through a lot as a child, thinking that no one loved me and that I was the only one in the world who would listen to my problems. I had no one to talk to as an outlet, but I didn't want anyone to talk to me."

        Your breath became shaky, and you forced your tears to go away. This whole situation made you feel uneasy. You didn't want to talk to Kakashi... but maybe, Maharoda was making sense.

        Maharoda placed his palm on your cheek. "I know it feels impossible. You've got to let go of your pride to be able to forgive, (Name). Kakashi is a good man. He's probably the only one in this whole village that sees the good in you right now. Will you give him a chance... for me?"

        You stared hard into Maharoda's (color) eyes for several seconds, trying to collect your resolve. And then, swallowing your pride, you nodded with a very strained expression in your eyes.

        Maharoda smiled gently, and quickly hugged you. "Thank you, (Name)." Then, he stood up from your bed and picked up your things that Kakashi collected for you (but had fallen over on the floor when Baaton threw you) and placed them beside you. "I've got to go now, (Name). It's beginning to get dark, and we want to snatch a hotel room before it gets too late. Thank you for listening to my story, and I hope you patch things up with Kakashi."

        You looked down at the floor.

        Maharoda walked over to the door and put his hand on the knob, then he turned around to look at you again. "(Name)?"

        You looked back up at him.

        Maharoda smiled, his eyes going half-lidded and his brows furrowing. His lips upturned in a small smile. "I love you." He gently told you, and your eyes widened in surprise. Blushing deeply at the reveal of his affection towards you as his newfound sister, you held your hands tightly and looked back down in embarrassment. Maharoda chuckled, and then he headed out of your room, making sure to shut the door behind him.

 

 

        When Maharoda strolled into the living room after having been in (Name)'s bedroom with the door shut for almost an hour, Kakashi quickly sat up off the couch and faced (Name)'s brother. Saitihi continued to sit on the sofa with his legs spread wide apart and his arms crossed, chin dipped into his collarbone. His eyes cracked open to side glance Maharoda and Kakashi, waiting. As for Baaton, he had been leaning against the wall the entire time.

        The whole time Maharoda was in (Name)'s bedroom, none of the men made any move to talk to each other. Kakashi felt distrusting of Baaton and Saitihi. They gave off a vibe of arrogant indifference, and this reminded Kakashi of himself when he was a teenager. Kakashi was not able to hear a single word that was spoken between Maharoda and yourself during the tense silence, so Kakashi was forced to sit around these two men that were apparently from your birth clan.

        Except for that one, fleeting moment of your outburst when he heard you speak Kakashi's name.

        "How is she?" Kakashi wondered, his eyes catching Maharoda's.

        Maharoda gestured to Baaton and Saitihi that it was time to leave. "(Name) is just fine. I suggest you go and talk to her once we leave, Kakashi." Maharoda continued to stare back at Kakashi for a few more seconds before turning his head and walking out the door, both Baaton and Saitihi on his heels. And like that, the three of them were gone.

        Kakashi exhaled.

        The air within the house was quiet and tense again.

        Cautiously, Kakashi turned his head over to the direction of the hallway. He supposed that he should go ahead and try to talk to you again. Unsure of himself, Kakashi slowly made his way over to your bedroom door. After standing in front of your door for a few silent moments, Kakashi raised his finger and tapped on the door three times.

        "(Name)," he quietly called out for you. "It's Kakashi," he said.

        He received no answer for several seconds, but as soon as he began to step away from having no answer, he heard a quiet "come in." Whipping his head back to stare at your door, Kakashi swallowed thickly. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous in that moment. Grasping the handle on your door, he turned it and pushed open the door. There you were, sitting on your bed, staring at your feet that were planted firmly on the floor.

        Kakashi stood in your doorway, still unsure of walking any further. You glanced up at him and looked back down at the floor. "Come over here," you told him. Inhaling deeply and exhaling shakily, Kakashi slowly made his way over to your form sitting on your bed and stiffly sat on the other end of the mattress, not wanting to get too close to you.

        You dryly chuckled. "Are you afraid of me, or something?" You quietly asked him.

        Kakashi could hear your own fear in your voice. Kakashi's mouth was dry. "No," he sincerely told you. He just didn't want you to suddenly change your mind and shoo him away again. He didn't want to set you off. You gazed at him from the corner of your eye. Kakashi was staring into the mirror on the wall across from you two, and he was staring at you through the mirror.

        "I'm not going to make you leave." You quietly said to him, and you could see Kakashi's muscles relax a little. "I... um..." You stammered. "I... I'm sorry for... being such a pain for you."

        Kakashi planted his hands firmly in the mattress on either side of his thighs. The Hatake huffed out a nervous laugh - clearly, he still felt uncertain about this whole ordeal. The man was just surprised that a single visit from your long-lost brother would make you talk to Kakashi again. It was just then that Kakashi wondered to himself... what exactly did Maharoda say to you?

        "That's just how women are, you know?" Kakashi joked.

        You huffed out a small laugh. To this, Kakashi found himself smiling a little at this small accomplishment.

        "I'm sorry for being so mean to you." You said in complete seriousness, sitting up straight and turning your head to look at Kakashi directly. The taller man turned his head to look at you as well.

        "I'm sorry for being so stupid when I was a kid... I didn't know... I didn't know that it had such an effect on you, growing up. I was foolish... I was a stubborn child." Kakashi quietly apologized to you, his eyes moving to gaze at every inch of your features.

        Cautiously, you hesitantly reached over to grasp Kakashi's arm, and pulled him towards you. Wrapping your arms around the man, you hugged him and rested your cheek on his shoulder. Immediately, Kakashi's body stiffened at the sudden, unexpected contact from you. After a few seconds, feeling uncertain, Kakashi gradually wrapped his arms around your form. His hands were pressed firmly against your back, slowly squeezing you tighter to him.

        Kakashi sighed into your shoulder. The Hatake had been waiting for this for so long. It was starting to make Kakashi emotional, but the man held back his emotions in order to continue hugging you.

        "I forgive you," you whispered into his shoulder, hugging Kakashi tighter.

        Kakashi closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms further around your form.

        The two of you hugged for a long time after that, alone, together, in your bedroom.


	34. Poetry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> second favorite chapter in the series. hope you enjoy.

        "(Naaame)," a very tired Kakashi Hatake groaned from the other side of his apartment, "why do I keep finding cat hair in my room?"

        You were sitting in your bedroom on the floor, reading a book that you found lying around on one of the shelves in the shinobi's living room. It had been about two weeks since your odd reunion with your long-lost family, and even now you were still reeling at the fact that yes - you've always had a family. Even though Maharoda and his two acquaintances were to be in the village for a while, you were still confined to the walls within Kakashi's apartment like a corpse in a coffin. It felt suffocating, not being able to go anywhere except for your bedroom, the living room, the kitchen... over, and over, and over again like an unending routine.

        The subject of your interests to keep yourself from dying of boredom was reading and exercising. Whenever Kakashi was out of the apartment when duty called, you found yourself doing many vigorous cardio activities and even the most simplest kind of exercising: push-ups; crunches; pull-ups, hand-stands, etc. You found yourself being very depleted of energy after every segment, but whenever you'd take a break to eat something you would jump right back at it and then take a shower once you were finished for the day.

        Aside from that, you had found a book that Kakashi left sitting on a shelf in his common area a few days ago. It was around one-thousand pages, a collage of poetry and other short fiction stories from a long time ago. It was admittedly a bit boring since stuff like that wasn't really your cup of tea, but anything to keep you from going insane was good. That's what you were reading at the moment, and you were so absorbed in the pages that you didn't notice Kakashi calling for you.

        "(Name)," Kakashi bleated from the open doorway to your bedroom, making you look over to him with an expectant look on your face. He interrupted your reading-time, he should have a good reason to do so. "Why is there cat hair everywhere?"

        You quirked an innocent brow. "What cat hair?"

        "Come on, (Name). I keep finding cat hair in my laundry. Are you summoning your ninneko or something?" Kakashi prodded, stepping out of the doorway to head back into his bedroom. It was true - you had been summoning Myū to give yourself someone to talk to. You were still apprehensive towards having full-blown conversations with Kakashi, and he was never really at his apartment that much to begin with. You were lonely, and you didn't really feel like sitting around the apartment twenty-four-seven without talking a little bit.

        Huffing in embarrassment, you set the book you were reading down on the floor and walked out of your room to where Kakashi was in his, rifling through his dresser to find a new pair of clean pants. "The best way to get rid of the hair is a lint roller." You mused to him shifting uncomfortably in your borrowed, over-sized short-sleeve and house shorts. They weren't ever yours to begin with, but Kakashi figured that instead of buying clothes that you might never wear he'd like it better if he just gave you some of his, instead. It was weird and it made you feel uneasy to wear someone else's clothes, so much so that you avoided wearing any of the hand-outs for several days after him giving them to you in the first place. But eventually you caved after washing your original outfit for the seventh time since your arrival to his home. Luckily enough for you, Kakashi didn't say anything about it. You didn't want him to.

        "Thanks," Kakashi grumbled under his breath, and you found yourself eyeing the side of his face while he was continuing his search - mainly that mask.

        You frowned.

 

 

        You hated dogs.

        The moment that Kakashi came through the door with a tiny little talking pug following behind him, the calm atmosphere that you allowed yourself to relax in diminished like the flashing lightning outside. Kakashi was dripping in rain water and as soon as he shut the door, he vigorously shook his body just like the pug by his feet to rid himself of the excess. Then, the Hatake leaned onto the wall with one hand to pull his sandals off.

        A scowl settled on your features long before you made eye-contact with the pug. He seemed to have felt your stare on him, and you narrowed your eyes at the little creature. You had been laying on the sofa on your back, staring up at the ceiling in the dark for about an hour before Kakashi came in. Kakashi coming home late was a routine, and you didn't care about him arriving late tonight just as much as you didn't care about it all of the previous days before. No... this time was different, because he had a dog with him.

        Kakashi walked into the common area with curiosity tugging at him. You watched as he looked around in the dark for the light switch before flicking it on and finding you laying on the couch like a lifeless doll, one arm and leg hanging over the edge.

        "Why were you in the dark?" He inquired, a joking tone to his voice as he eye-smiled at you.

        You blankly stared at him for a couple seconds before closing your eyes. "My head just hurts." You murmured, and Kakashi's demeanor changed immediately. Sobering up and realizing his mistake, the shinobi quickly turned back to the switch and flipped it off again. He then looked back at you in the darkness, the hard-hitting rain outside thumping against the shut windows. It was around ten'o'clock at night, and it wasn't abnormal for you to be up this late.

        "Are you alright?" He questioned you, an edge of worry in his words.

        You nodded. "Yes."

        "Did you take your medicine this morning?"

        "... Yes."

        "Are you lying?"

        "No." You sighed, rolling over onto your side to face the cushions instead of his fret-filled form. "It's mild, but I don't feel like having the lights on. And why is that dog here?!" You growled out the last part, each syllable dripping in displeasure.

        Kakashi blinked before looking down at Pakkun, his pug. "It's just Pakkun. What, do you not like dogs?"

        "I hate dogs." You clarified, your voice muffled because of you stuffing your face deep into the cushion. From behind you in the middle of the living room, Kakashi chuckled at your opinion. "D'aww, it's okay. Pakkun is a good boy. Aren't you, Pakkun?"

        Pakkun awkwardly looked between your form on the couch and an eye-smiling Kakashi, not really knowing what to say or do. If he was able, Pakkun would be sweating.

 

 

        When you walked out of your room one morning, you were immediately greeted by a yellow sticky note placed on the wall in front of your door. It was surprising, since Kakashi never left any notes around for you to find - not that you ever expected him to, but this was a little odd.

        Curiously, you squinted your eyes as you read:

        did you like the poetry?

        ~

        A few days later, Kakashi found another sticky note above the sink.

        thanks for leaving it out in the open for me to find.

 

 

        It was raining again, and you were again sitting in the living room with a little notepad in your hand as you drew little swirls over the paper. You were quite engrossed in the menial task, and found a bit of fun in it. Drawing the swirls over every inch of the notepad was relaxing for you, and you found yourself stuck in a trance as you flipped on to the next page to continue doodling.

        And that's when the lights went out after a loud burst of lightning from outside.

        Startled, you set the notepad to the side and got up to look out the window. It was around six o'clock in the evening and the sun was going down, but whatever light was left was unable to pierce through the thick, dark rain clouds in the sky. You were barely even able to see across the street due to how heavy the downpour was.

        "Well, it seems like the lights are gone for who knows how long..." Kakashi sighed from the exit to the hallway, rubbing the back of his head. He came home rather early today - around three in the afternoon - and hung around in the apartment ever since. It felt... comforting, to know that there was at least someone else in the house with you... and you weren't all alone. You turned to look at him with a deadpan expression on your face. "What a way to state the obvious, Hatake."

        Kakashi chuckled. He was laughing a lot at your words these days. You didn't know how to take it - he seemed so understanding of you and you didn't know what to make of it. Whenever you tried to insult him, he didn't even take offense to your words anymore. It left you feeling weird... he never gave you the reactions that you were expecting, and it confused you. Although you made up with Kakashi, you weren't expecting him to treat you this way... like he knew something about you that you didn't even acknowledge yourself.

        "Do you want to do something?" Kakashi gestured around with his hands, his eyebrows raised in an inquiry.

        You quirked up a brow yourself, wondering what he was getting at. "What do you mean?"

        Kakashi rubbed his chin and stared at you from the exit of the hallway for several seconds, then turned around to leave without saying anything. Um... okay? you thought to yourself, turning back around to look out the window.

        The rain was a pretty sight to see, in your opinion. You loved falling asleep to the sound of rain pattering against the rooftop, and it had been raining non-stop for the past three days. It was very enjoyable for you, and you found major comfort in it. It reminded you of the constant rain back at the Akatsuki Tower... and it reminded you of Tobi. Oftentimes, you found yourself missing him... but you also realized that the life you were living over at the tower was not ideal for you.

        You missed Tobi's antics, but the darker side of the man was something that you couldn't stand to think about. Tobi was nothing like you initially thought he was, and he wasn't someone that you wanted to be around. But... why on earth did you find your heart racing and your stomach flipping whenever you thought about the tender moments shared between the two of you? What were you supposed to make of it? Even though you wanted to leave the life with the Akatsuki behind, you couldn't ignore your feelings.

        You were attracted to Tobi.

        But why? He kidnapped you, took you away from the home you knew best - made you partner up with the zombie duo, your life felt miserable while living in a tower surrounded by murderers. But even when you were living there, you'd be lying if you said you hadn't been expecting every next interaction with the orange-masked man that declared himself as Tobi. He was mysterious, he was deceiving the people around him, he was odd, and every move he made had your legs feeling weak.

        You had feelings for Tobi.

        THWAK! You gasped loudly as something soft slapped the side of your head, making you lose your balance and stumble across the floorboard. Whipping around to find the source of the sudden hit, you found yourself face-to-face with Kakashi, who was holding a pillow in his hands.

        "What was that?!" You questioned the man, your voice rising and falling due to the sudden rush of adrenaline. Kakashi got in a fighting stance and held the pillow to his side as if it were a sword.

        "I'm going to have a pillow-fight with you." He said as if it were a fact, and without a moment's hesitation he lunged at you.

        "ACK!" You screeched, just barely dodging his attack before sprinting around the sofa and into the hallway to get away from the silver-haired man. Quickly, you ran into your room and tried to shut the door as you ran, but Kakashi's shoulder forced it open before it was able to slide shut completely, and it banged against the wall from the force. Hopping onto your bed and snatching your own pillow as you went, you held the pillow as if it were a sword as well.

        Kakashi paused mid-run right before he was going to hit you with the pillow from his place below the bed, stopping to stare up at you. You narrowed your eyes and smirked at the man. "Are you sure you want to have a pillow fight with someone from the Jūryoku clan?" Wolfishly grinning as Kakashi quirked a brow at you, you guffawed with laughter as you lunged off of the bed and reared the pillow back before whipping it down onto Kakashi's head.

        "Ow!" He laughed, dodging your next attack before landing one of his own into your side.

        "Finish what you started, Hatake!" You howled, grinning widely at him as you forced him out of your room with a barrage of pillow-attacks.

        "Hey, hey, hey! Stop power-playing!" Kakashi said through your pillow-whoopings, stumbling back and tripping over a potted plant that sat near the entrance to the kitchen. He fell onto his back and you quickly took advantage of the situation, moving to stand over him and repeatedly slamming your pillow down on him over and over again. Kakashi held his hands out to protect himself, but it was futile.

        "Why-are-your-attacks-so-strong?!" Kakashi whined through his mask, saying each word one at a time whenever you lifted your pillow up to smack down on him.

        "I am a member of the Jūryoku clan!" You panted, still beating him with the pillow. "You should know better than to engage in a pillow-fight with me! I have strength that your body cannot comprehend!" You maniacally laughed.

        Kakashi finally caught your pillow in his hands when you slammed it down on him again. From behind the pillow, Kakashi peered up at you with both of his eyes - one black, and one a bold red sharingan. "So you have pride in your identity now?" He closed his eyes to eye-smile at you, and your face flushed a deep crimson at his comment.

        Quickly snatching the pillow out of his hands, you slammed it back down on him five times harder than before. "Stop-talking-as-if-you-know-me!"

        Through your barrage of attacks, Kakashi only laughed at you being caught red-handed.

 

 

        "So why do you hate dogs again?" Kakashi asked you from the kitchen as he sipped at a cup of water. You sat in the dining room at the table with your cheek in one hand as you looked out of the nearby window, lost in thought about a certain masked Akatsuki member.

        "I just do." You mumbled, picturing what you thought Tobi might look like without his mask. You almost came close to tearing it off of him once or twice, but you never did. Why didn't you? You would have had an opportunity to see his face. What color eyes did he have? Did Tobi have any freckles, any beauty marks? Why was there only one hole in his mask? Was he blind in one eye, perhaps? Did he have scars? And if so, where on his face?

        "So you just hate dogs for no reason? Aww, (Name)... you're hurting my feelings." Kakashi jokingly pouted, moving to sit at the table with you.

        Snapping out of your trance, you sucked in a breath and blinked a few times before looking over at the silver-headed man. "Huh? What did you say?"

        Kakashi deadpanned. "I asked why you hate dogs and you said 'I just do'. Were you daydreaming again? You've been doing that a lot lately."

        You sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck.

 

 

        "You seem to really like that scarf," Kakashi mused when he walked into the apartment. You stood by the window in the common area, clutching the long green scarf to your chest as if it were your newborn child, your index finger and thumb softly rubbing the fabric. It was the scarf that Tobi gave you months ago. When you first came to live with Kakashi, the Hatake was generous enough to go back to the hospital and retrieve the rest of your things that were confiscated. The green scarf was one of those things.

        Today must have been the fourth time this week that Kakashi saw you with that green scarf. Admittedly, he had no idea why it was so important - but why was it? Did it have some kind of sentimental value that Kakashi could not understand? Whenever you caught him staring at it, you were defensive - why?

        You jumped away from the window, a blush dusting your cheeks at being caught (again) with the scarf. You really needed to listen for when Kakashi's keys jingled in the doorknob...

        "Kakashi!" You gasped, and quickly hid the scarf out of sight behind your back, acting as if nothing had happened.

        Kakashi frowned underneath his mask. "That scarf must be really important to you if you're clinging to it all the time..." He noted aloud. "Uh, I don't want to step on your toes or anything, but... why is it so important to you?"

        You averted your eyes, not saying anything to Kakashi and opting to stand in questionable silence.

        "..." Kakashi sighed and nodded to himself. He shouldn't have asked... not after you acting so passionately about the scarf in the first place. He'll get nowhere if he asks again, so he doesn't.

 

 

        "Do you ever want to talk about what happened before you came here?" Kakashi asks you.

        The question startles you, as you were so transfixed with staring at the nearby wall that you hadn't noticed Kakashi even come in the room to sit with you.

        "What do you mean?" You question him.

        "How you got mixed up with the Akatsuki," Kakashi restates. "You were just... so different before you left Konoha, and now that you're back you're an ex-Akatsuki member and well, you're kind of snappy." He chuckles out the last part, sweating a little bit. "There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that when you were a kid you... well, you were happier."

        "Because I was a child." You huffed, crossing your arms and turning to look at him, your muscles taut at the sudden question.

        Kakashi tries again. "But will you ever talk about it?"

        You frown deeply, not wanting to think about the subject. If you talk about how you got mixed up in the Akatsuki, you're afraid that you'll mention Tobi. Tobi is something that you don't want Kakashi to find out about. You don't want him to know about your hidden affections for the man. He can't.

        "Did... something happen to you?" The Hatake quietly asks, almost whispering. He cares, you know he does - but you're just afraid to open up to him. Kakashi is doing to you what you did to him when you were children - you cared about him then, and he was apprehensive - that situation has done a full turnaround now. And you didn't know how to feel about it.

        Your answer is tense silence. Kakashi seems to take that as a yes, but he has to talk about this with you. The two of you have avoided this conversation long enough, it's time to breach the topic. Kakashi thinks that you've had enough time to yourself. He's waited for you to talk to him about it - but you never have. He thinks that maybe he should be the one to approach the sensitive situation. He'll be gentle, he'll let you reply when you're ready.

        "I..." you whispered under your breath, not knowing what to say. You knew what you were going to say, actually - but you just had no clue how to say it. The words were right at the tip of your tongue, but your lips would not move for several seconds until you practically forced the words out. "I was teamed up with two members of the Akatsuki... named Kakuzu and Hidan."

        Kakashi's eyes flash with recognition. He knows who they are - he's fought both of them. They're the ones that killed Asuma, your old teammate. Maybe... that was why you let your guard down during your fight with Kakashi - Kakuzu and Hidan were name-dropped. Back then, Kakashi didn't know why you reacted that way. He does now.

        You look incredibly tense just mentioning their names, Kakashi observes. "On my first mission with them... I assisted in letting Hidan kill a little girl." Shadows form under your eyes, and your voice is light and shakes slightly - guilt mars your face.

        "I watched him do it." You add after almost a full minute of rigid silence. Your fingers clutch tightly at the over-sized sweater you're wearing, tight enough so that it looks like you're about to rip the fabric with your nails. Kakashi feels shocked at the revelation, and you appear to be tremendously afflicted. But Kakashi says nothing. He lets you finish what you want to say - he knows you want to say something else.

        "And after he killed her, he laughed about it. Almost as if... he received a paycheck." You spat out the words, feeling sick to your stomach just from talking about the situation. Kakashi wants to say something to you - he has to, to calm you down. He can see you shaking in your spot from the anger and guilt, and he has to do something about it or else you'll explode.

        But before he can even reach his hand out to tell you it's okay, you abruptly stand up and storm out of the living room and into your bedroom, your door shutting and locking after you.

        Kakashi empathizes with you in some odd, twisted way - when he was a teenager, he was rough. He needlessly killed shinobi from other villages without a second thought - now, all he wishes he could do is to take back his horrible deeds. But he can't, just like you can't.

        You don't leave your room for the rest of the evening.

 

 

        Kakashi told you that it was okay - it was in the past. He empathizes with you because he's gone through similar things in his younger years, he says. But you won't listen. Whenever Kakashi tries to bring up the topic again, you avoid him like the plague - it's better this way.

        He decides not to talk about it anymore. You obviously feel too uncomfortable talking about it, and Kakashi feels like he's done something wrong. He's dug up your past demons that you've been trying to forget and it's all his fault. After half a month of awkward air between each other, you finally come back around and the two of you are back to normal again. Kakashi's happy about it, but he still feels bad.

        He tried to bond with you, but he got something else entirely, and it made you suffer. It seemed that everything Kakashi did made you feel horrible. Kakashi doesn't really know how to act, but he feels like maybe he should start off a bit slower with you instead of trying to rush these things.

        You knew that Kakashi felt guilty for what happened, but you didn't blame him for anything. He was curious, and even you couldn't deny your curiosity at times. You tell him that it's fine, he has nothing to be worrying about - something that he wasn't even involved in shouldn't burden him like it does to you.

        Kakashi feels reassured, if only slightly. He values his platonic relationship with you greatly - he doesn't want to lose it over him being too curious for his own good.

 

 

        "I was in the ANBU for a few years after you left." Kakashi informs you one night - it's around one in the morning, and neither of you can sleep. The two of you are laying on your backs on the floor of the living room, both of your eyes staring up at the ceiling through the darkness. The windows are shut, but the curtains are not drawn - enabling some moonlight to seep into the common room, leaving a rectangle-like imprint on the floor which reveals your legs but nothing else.

        The air is tranquil, and you're hit with a sudden nostalgia of the past. You had sleepovers with Rin from time to time, and you would sleep on the common room floor of your small apartment talking to each other and telling secrets like the little girls you were. It feels weird to do it again - and with Kakashi no less, the boy who seemed to want to have nothing to do with you.

        "It was suffocating being in the organization. I was a lost kid, always wanting to follow the rules, taking my anger out on others because of my guilt for... what happened to Rin... and Obito." He admits to you, and he feels like a child opening up to their mother about something that happened at school. He feels bare, he feels naked opening up for the first time about this topic, just like how you did.

        "How did everyone react to my disappearance?" You ask after a while. The question feels meek and it's quiet. You're shy to ask, but you have to know.

        "I took it pretty hard." Kakashi admits, "But out of everyone else I know, Kurenai took it the hardest."

        Kurenai. Your old teammate, a cherished friend when you were a child. Your memories of her were foggy, but one thing that you knew for sure was that she always had your back. Whenever you were sparring one of your other teammates - like Asuma, for example - she encouraged you. Kurenai and you were close, but you could never get attached to her in your younger years. You never figured out why, even now. To know that Kurenai took it the hardest beside Kakashi filled you with guilt. Kurenai didn't deserve that... neither did Kakashi.

        "Asuma was torn up about it as well," Kakashi adds. "He was the one who was there for Kurenai when things went downhill."

        Your heart ached at the mention of Asuma. You and him were never particularly close, but your former teammates of the Akatsuki killed Asuma. They tore Asuma away from the life he had back at home, and every day you blamed yourself for it. What if I had been there? you ask, but you never get an answer. No one is there to listen, and you don't want them to. You don't want them to know about this turmoil.

        "Guy was upset about it, but he occupied himself with training to keep his mind off of it. He trains all the time... that's just how he copes with things."

        You always wanted to be good friends with Guy, but his overly-eccentric personality scared you away as a child. Even now, it intimidates you - you don't want to let him down if he decides to want to become friends with you. You're scared of rejection and commitment, and you don't want to face what could happen and so you just opt to let it be as it is. What could happen - but won't happen.

        The two of you fall asleep at around three, still laying on the floor with the moonlight filtering on your form.

 

 

        Kakashi is out of the apartment when it happens.

        You hear screaming from outside, so you rush to the window to see what the commotion is. Commoners are running away from something in the opposite direction, but you can't see what it is. Whatever's causing the widespread panic outside is making the floor beneath you rumble as tremors run through the ground that the apartment complex sits on. The first thoughts that pops into your mind - Kakashi, your brother Maharoda - you needed to escape the apartment.

        But how could you? There was a cuff on your ankle that wouldn't let you leave the premises. Maybe if you... You grasped the knob to the door with apprehension making your muscles taut. Cautiously, you took a step forward into the doorway - only to feel a feeling similar to electrocution shooting up through your veins.

        You gasp and fall to the ground inside of the apartment, your muscles involuntarily seizing your muscles. After what felt like several minutes, you shakily got back up and stumbled a bit, tripping over your own feet and falling back down behind the sofa. The green scarf wrapped around your neck feels hot and it's singed slightly on the ends, but it's otherwise in perfect condition. The front door is left ajar in your haste to find some way of escaping the apartment. There has to be a way to get out! you frantically thought to yourself, looking between both of the windows in the living room and in the dining room. There has to be a way.

        Breaking the cuff was an option, you briefly thought - but how would you do it? You guessed that it was better to try than to do nothing at all. So you get up and then drop to one knee, You raise your fist, focusing as much chakra as you could muster into your knuckles before hooking it onto the cuff. You try again and again, hitting it with your fist with all of your might - but it's no use. You can't achieve your full power with the cuff handicapping your chakra, and at this point you're getting nowhere. You stand up and look around the immediate space for something else you could use.

        You spot the edge of one of the walls that part to create the entrance to the hallway. Hurriedly, you run over to it and spread your feet before roundhousing your ankle into the edge of the wall as hard as you can, and a large dent is created in the wall. The plaster breaks and falls to the floor, and this only encourages you to keep going. You roundhouse the wall as many times as you can before you realize that you're getting nowhere - the cuff is not breaking.

        Just as you have this revelation, the ground shakes harder than it has in the several minutes that you've been hearing screaming and shouting outside. Panic makes your heart beat fast as a rumbling, crushing noise draws ever nearer from all directions - until you find the walls around you caving in and forcing you to one side of the apartment.

 

 

        You don't know how long it took before you woke up, but when you did you were surrounded on all sides by what seemed to be a crushed lamp post, shop wreckage, furniture, and the very apartment that you were in a mere few seconds ago. The scarf that you were previously wearing is nowhere to be found, and you feel suffocated.

        Frantically, you push and climb around until you're finding yourself escaping from the wreckage, your hand shooting out from inside the debris and clutching onto the nearest thing. You haul yourself out, and you're then half-way out of the wreckage, your torso hanging over a large chuck of metal. Once you enter the sunlight, you look down at your shaking hands and see that they're ridden with dust - most likely from the apartment collapsing on top of you.

        Finally you're out of the heap and find yourself standing on top of what appears to be one of the many large towers of garbage that used to be buildings inside of Konoha. Looking around with wide, saucer-like eyes, you realize that Konoha is completely destroyed. There's faint screaming and crying in the distance, but the loudest thing around is the wind whistling in your ears.

        You're unsure of how long you've been standing on top of that wreckage, but soon enough you're sucked out of your wide-eyed trance when you hear your name being called. It's frantic and worried, and you whip around to see a relieved Maharoda - you're brother was safe, but he was alone. Quickly, you move to get to his side, but you trip and slide down the wreckage on your back before your rump meets the dusty ground below.

        "(Name)!" Maharoda runs over to you and helps you stand to your feet, steadying you by your shoulders when you teeter. "Are you alright?!" He worriedly questions you, dusting off your clothes for you and licking his tongue before trying to rub off the dust from your face like a mother-hen. Then he ruffles your hair to rid it of the dust and plaster and looks you over for any injuries.

        "I'm fine," you truthfully say to him. "What's happened to you? And where is Baaton and Saitihi?" You question back at your elder sibling, your eyes flickering over his form. He has multiple cuts over his arms and chest which tore the fabric of his dark brown spandex shirt, with blood seeping through the fabric. Maharoda's left eyebrow is split and the skin over his right cheekbone is split, bruised yellow, and bleeding. His undercut is also disheveled and sticking up in places.

        "It's fine, I'm alright. I got separated from them when the village got destroyed, and now I can't find them." He informed you quickly in a hush-hush voice, his eyes flickering all around the two of you in caution. "The village is under siege. An Akatsuki member is here looking for this 'Naruto' guy, and I'm pretty sure the enemy is here to kill him. I've been able to avoid their henchmen because of my seismic sense, so it hasn't been a problem for me so far." Maharoda explains, then he turns to you and grips the sides of your shoulders.

        "We have to get out of here, (Name)." He tells you, and you suck in a breath through your nose. "I can't leave," you deny him, "I have to find Kakashi. You've found me and you have that ability you just mentioned, so we can go find him--"

        "(Name), listen to me." Maharoda drops to one knee and holds your wrists tightly, his eyes pleading into yours. "We are at risk of being annihilated here, and I won't let that happen. I've only just found you and I won't risk losing you again, do you hear me?"

        "But Maharoda--" you began, only to be cut off by your sibling.

        "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" He repeats, his voice raising an octave in his urgency. "I can't risk letting you get killed! You're not skilled enough in our clan's abilities and you're a very reckless fighter, you can't just leave without even having the seismic sense to aid you!"

        You shake your head and tear your wrists away from Maharoda. "Then come with me!" You plead with him in a hushed voice. "Listen, you won't lose me, okay? I promise! Just, please - you have to help me find Kakashi! He's a very important friend, and I can't just leave knowing that he could be in danger!"

        Maharoda looks unwilling, the black dirt dusting his cheeks being spotted with dripping sweat. "Do you understand the severity of this situation?" Dammit! You could see where you got your stubbornness from!

        "Yes, Maharoda! I lived with these guys for a long time, I know what I'm getting into! Now, let's go!" You lean down and snatch his wrist in yours before you're sprinting in a random direction, dragging Maharoda behind you. You dodge and run around the large piles of wreckage as you go, and Maharoda gives you directions like "left" and "right" and "keep going straight". Maharoda's and your bare feet slap heavily into the sandy earth as you run and for a brief moment you think that you might have stepped on a small shard of glass or maybe even metal, but you don't care. You have to find Kakashi.

        "NARUTOOOO!" A young girl screams somewhere in the distance, and it happens to be in the direction of where you're headed. You and Maharoda use your abilities to hop over the wreckage when it was necessary, and you sweat at the possibility of how things would be going if the cuff was still restraining your chakra. Since the apartment was destroyed, the cuff stopped working, and now it was just a ring of metallic technology bound to your ankle that was a nuisance more than anything.

        "(Naaaamme)..." that same voice called out in a sobbing voice, and just as you and Maharoda landed on top of a pile of wreckage you skidded to a halt, causing some of the plaster and wood to fall off of the edge. You whip around to see who the owner of the voice was, and you find yourself looking behind you down below on the ground. It was Sakura, you think that's what her name is - and she's looking right up at you through tear-filled turquoise eyes as she's kneeling in the dirt. Around her is a few other shinobi, half-buried in the wreckage but alive - and some of them are her age.

        "Sakura!" You gasp, and you turn around completely to leap off of the tall pile of wreckage. Maharoda follows not too far behind, but he feels impatient. "Sakura," you repeat, and you jog over to the teenager. "Sakura, are you hurt?" You never thought you'd be asking her that, but you were - the situation at hand was too great to ignore and treat lightly.

        "I'm okay," she gasps through her tears. "But some of my friends are either dead or missing, and I... I don't know where Naruto is!" She begins to sob again, and you squat down to rest a hand on her shoulder. "We're looking for some people too," you tell the pink-haired girl. "I'm sorry about your friends. Do you know where Kakashi is?"

        Sakura shakes her head and her pink hair whips around from the movement. "No..." she replies, and you're hit with a sudden disappointment. "Damn!" You stand up and turn to look at your brother, who is clutching his fists in his tension and he looks very impatient. He's willing to help you, but the both of you have a time-limit, and the seconds were ticking ever-by.

        "Can you use your seismic sense to try and find him from here?!" You hurriedly say to the tall man, and he takes a step back from you. "I can, but it'll drain some of my chakra."

        "Do it!" You demand, and Maharoda grumbles a bit but sucks in a deep breath, angling his hands by his sides before lifting his bare foot and slamming it down on the ground. He's leaned over his knee and his eyes are closed and brows are furrowed in deep concentration for several seconds.

        "Well?!" You push. "Did you see him?"

        Maharoda's muscles tense and his eyes snap open. He seems to take a long time to respond, and it's driving you insane.

        "I..." He begins, but you cut him off with a quick spit it out!

        Maharoda faces you with a grim look on his face. "He's..." When he notices the look of deep worry on your face though, he stops himself and shakes his head. "I can't see him." Maharoda lies right through his teeth and he knows it's a horrible thing to do, but he doesn't want to watch your eyes - full of hope - diminish into nothingness only to be replaced with despair. Maharoda can't do that to you.

        "Then what are we waiting for? We have to find him!" You move to jump to the top of the wreckage in your haste to leave, but Maharoda catches your ankle before you're able to get away and pulls you back down. You make a noise of protest at the interruption, and Maharoda shakes his head. "We have to stay right here," he tells you. "I can sense one of his henchmen nearby, we have to stay put or else you'll die!"

        You growl in frustration and shake your head. Maharoda forces you to sit near Sakura, and you sit in a tense sulk, your arms crossed tightly against your chest. Maharoda stands nearby standing watch, not wanting anymore surprises.

        Sakura sniffles and wipes her tears. "You must really be worried for Kakashi-sensei," she brokenly whispers.

        You huff and turn your nose up to the girl, but say nothing in response. She's right, there's no reason to deny what she says. But you won't admit it out loud, especially not in front of one of his own students.

        It feels like hours pass before a girl named Hinata - you heard Sakura call her - announces that Naruto has arrived and with reinforcements as well. You don't feel relieved, though. All you care about is knowing if Kakashi isn't dead. You could care less about this blond-headed twat that slapped you around like a ping-pong ball with his clones when you first met him.

        And then Hinata gasps and runs forward without warning, and Sakura calls for her friend to come back - but Hinata isn't listening to her friend. Everyone is worried for the Hyuga girl, and she's out on the battlefield for no longer than five minutes before Naruto roars and lunges at the leader of the Akatsuki.

        The ground shakes and rumbles during Naruto's fight with Pein, you come to realize that's who it's been this whole time - it was Pein who destroyed the village, Pein who killed Sakura's friends and who knows how many others. For the first time in several months, you feel genuine hatred towards another human being that isn't yourself.

        You never liked him.

        "How long have we been sitting here?" Maharoda questions aloud, and a random shinobi a few meters away replies: "three hours!"

        "Three hours and still no Baaton or Saitihi," he mumbles to himself. You glance up at him through your eyelashes, but say nothing. You're too preoccupied with your own thoughts to say anything at this point. You're too worried, your heart is thumping too hard against your ribs to let you focus on thinking of something to say.

        Three hours since Naruto began to fight Pein.

        And almost as quickly as it began, it was over.

        Blue orbs of chakra soared across the sky from the northeast like shooting stars and fell into the pit that was meant to be Konoha - and suddenly, one fell straight into the mouth of one of the corpses that a Hyuga was grieving over. You jumped in surprise when the corpse came back to life and the formerly dead shinobi sat up to rub his head. That shinobi's life... returned to him?

        You and Maharoda both stared at the scene in complete bafflement.

        "Is the fight over?" Sakura wondered aloud, and you momentarily glanced at her before standing up and lunging up into the air without any warning to Maharoda.

        "(Name), wait--!" He calls for you, but you were already gone and running through the wreckage.

        Cupping your hands up to your mouth as you run past the groaning villagers that you assumed had their lives stolen from them, you shout over and over again: "KAKASHI! KAKASHI, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

        Continuing in your mad dash through the wreckage, you ignore the fearful gasps from the villagers around you that realize who you are.

        "AKATSUKI! SHE'S GOING TO KILL US!" One villager screams, and as if it were a ripple-effect, many of the other nearby villagers scream in fright when they turn to see who you are. You cringe in response and take a few steps back from the frightful villagers, but straighten out when you hear:

        "(NAME)!"

        Whirling around, you exhale a deep breath of pent-up fear and tension that you had been holding for hours. Kakashi slid down the pile of wreckage by his feet before he quickly runs over to your form. You do nothing as he practically tackles you in a bear-hug and you freeze at the action, not really knowing what to do. As he continues to hold you, you gulp and unsurely... slowly lift your forearms up to wrap them around his sides. Kakashi responds by holding you tighter, and you grip his shinobi jacket.

        "I was worried you might be trapped under the debris with no way of getting out," Kakashi admits into your shoulder, and you sigh. You were trapped beneath the debris, but you did manage to escape.

        "I was worried that you might be dead." You deadpan, and Kakashi chuckles. He was dead, but he didn't want to reveal that to you.

        Kakashi finally releases you and takes a step back, his eyes beneath his mess of silver hair glancing down to your bare feet. "You managed to run around with that cuff on your ankle?"

        You rub the back of your neck and nodded. "Yes, but it wasn't exactly easy escaping the apartment." You bitterly say towards the cuff, grumbling a bit under your breath. Kakashi laughs at your comment and reaches up to ruffle your own mess of (color) hair.

        "You're impossible." He jokes.

        "Hey!" You pout, slapping his hand off of your head. "I have a thing going on with my hair, here."

        "Oh, please. It's always a disheveled mess, don't lie to yourself." Kakashi teases, and you cross your arms over your chest with a pout on your lips. "It's not always a disheveled mess..."

        Kakashi gives you a pointed look with his eyes, and you pretend that he's not there.

        "I'm glad you're safe, at least." Kakashi sighs and pulls you in for another quick embrace, but it ends as quick as it happens and he turns when Maharoda comes running up.

        "I thought I told you to stay near me!" Maharoda pouts, and you punch his arm hard. But it feels like nothing to Maharoda, as expected from a member of your own clan. "Calm down." You tell him, rolling your eyes. "I found Kakashi without your worthless seismic sense just fine."

        Maharoda is about to snap a retort with something similar to 'I did see Kakashi, but I lied to you, you fool', yet he bites his tongue and grumbles under his breath. "Seismic sense is no joke. And you know what this means, right?" He expectantly stares at you, holding his hands out.

        "Uhm... what?"

        "I'm going to teach you how to properly wield your abilities now. This mess is done and over with now and you're out of the apartment, so I figure it's only best--"

        Kakashi holds his hand up to interrupt Maharoda. "Wait," he says, "(Name) isn't cleared to walk around the village yet, as Lady Tsunade hasn't allowed it yet... unfortunately."

        Maharoda deadpans at the Hatake. "Yes, but look around you. What is this town's ANBU gonna do, lock her down to a section of garbage with that cuff on her ankle?"

        You snort, and Kakashi rubs his chin. "Uh, good point, I suppose."

        The crowd of villagers suddenly flock towards the entrance of the village, screaming and cheering their gratitude towards Naruto. You glance over at Kakashi, and the both of you glance at Maharoda. The Jūryoku clansman sighs and gestures with his hand for you to go, and that's what you do. As you and Kakashi make your way through the crowd of villagers, you soon find Naruto at the front, hugging Sakura close to him.

        "Naruto," Kakashi calls his student, and Naruto releases Sakura to look up at his mentor. Kakashi steps aside to make way for you as you step forward, uneasiness in your demeanor. Naruto's blue eyes settle on you and his face sobers up as he expectantly waits for what you're going to do.

        The crowd of villagers quieten down as you walk towards the teenager, and then you pause in front of him. You stare up at his bloody features - he looks exhausted.

        You pause as you think about what you were going to do.

        So then, as your resolve hardens, you lift up your fist and punch his arm. Naruto stumbles a bit at the contact, but breaks out into a grin. "Hey!" He giggles, and then he punches your own shoulder. You don't even stumble, and that makes Naruto sweat-drop, but the crowd of villagers break out into screams and cheers again as the teenager is suddenly swooped up in their arms and begins to crowd-surf.

        Kakashi comes up behind you and chuckles over your shoulder. "He's quite the hero of the village, now."

        As you watch Naruto giggle and laugh happily above the crowd of villagers, your eyes soften slightly.

        "Yeah," you agree, "he is."


	35. Marble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> third favorite chapter in the entire series. hope you enjoy.

        You fall to the ground in a heap of dirt and dust, coughing and groaning. Standing above you, Maharoda clucks his tongue and shakes his head at you.

        "You're still too hasty!" He chides, waiting for you to get on your feet again. This must have been the fifth time he's knocked you right off your feet during your training, and it's starting to get to you. Off to the side, Baaton and Saitihi were watching Maharoda train you with somewhat bored looks on their faces. Every now and then Saitihi would shout unhelpful remarks to the two of you, and every time he did you'd get caught off your guard and you'd pay for it with knuckles to the face.

        It was almost a week since the disaster, and for most of it Maharoda consumed your schedule and forced you to practice spar with him on some occasions. It wore you out, and all you wanted was a break. You weren't allowed to help rebuild the village, so you really had nothing better to do than spar constantly with your brother - even though on some days you really didn't feel like it. To make matters worse, your headaches were coming back - and that was not a good sign. However, luckily enough - the cuff around your ankle was removed, and you were allowed to walk around the village as you pleased.

        "I'm sorry, alright?!" You growl, climbing back to your feet again. "You're fighting really erratically and it's hard to keep up!"

        Maharoda huffs at you and spreads his feet, readying himself to attack you again. "That's just my fighting style. Get used to it or you'll fall flat on your ass again."

        Is this what having a sibling is like? you think to yourself, holding your fists up to your face. "I've never seen anyone fight like you before," you admit to your brother, turning your chin to spit out some phlegm before turning to him again. "It's hard to keep up like this."

        A few meters away, Baaton speaks up. He's leaned against a large chunk of broken concrete, arms crossed and one foot propped up behind him. "That's why Maharoda is one of the most skilled fighters in our clan," he tells you. "His fighting style is very erratic, so it's difficult to deflect any of his attacks or predict which move he'll make next." Baaton pauses for a moment. "Not even I can beat him that easily." He adds, a bit of self-disappointment in his tone.

        Saitihi snickers to himself with a sharp smirk on his face. He's standing off to the side with his hands gripping his hips, and he kicks a stray rock to the side. "Do you think he'd win against a Uchiha, Baaton?"

        Personally, Saitihi was your least favorite of the trio. He was narcissistic and snappy, not to mention bitchy as all hell. He seemed to love making your life miserable whenever he was within a mile distance, and you hated it. He was like Hidan in a way, except he wasn't a religion-obsessed serial killer who enjoyed killing people. Saitihi was nasty as well - always hacking something up in his mouth and spitting it out onto the ground by his feet at random or picking his nose. He wasn't much older than you, but he sure did have the attitude of a nasty, hormonal teenager. You were sure that Saitihi is definitely the type to kick some kid over on the street and laugh at it.

        "I dunno." Baaton honestly shrugged his shoulders. "Last I heard someone from our clan fought a Uchiha was probably during the last war, but I can't remember how it turned out."

        Baaton was something else entirely. He was quiet most of the time and kept to himself for the most part, but whenever he spoke he always made sure to be curt and honest. Baaton didn't have time for false reassurances or lies, it seemed. You respected that about him. Though, something about him seemed like he was always just making stuff up as he went about daily life. That's the sort of vibe you got from him - like he never really knew what he was doing, but you were never too sure with him. One moment he'd seem really smart about a subject, but the next minute he was always giving "I dunno's" or shrugs, exactly as he'd just done. Baaton was on your good side for now, but you'd just have to wait and see what happened next.

        "Do you think the Jūryoku clansman won the fight anyways?" You ask out of curiosity, your focus being turned away from Maharoda to look at the two other men with interest. Baaton rubs his chin and hums to himself, his bare foot tapping against the sandy clearing that you were practicing in. "Well, considering that some of our clan members tend to get ahead of themselves in most situations and think that they can win any battle they fight like a bunch of block-headed dum-dums--"

        Saitihi scoffs.

        "- I don't think the clan member won, no." Baaton continues, shaking his head at you. You pout slightly at that fact, but you're met with an abrupt awakening when Maharoda's fist connects with your jaw. You stumble back from the surprise, but just barely manage to dodge Maharoda's bare foot by your face.

        "See? You're learning as you go!" Maharoda grunts, shifting his feet and quickly phasing out of sight before reappearing behind you and kicking you in the back of the knee. You fall, but scramble away from Maharoda's incoming knee to the side of your face.

        "You're very inexperienced, even for an adult ex-kuonichi," Your brother notes to himself as the two of you fight, but you don't say anything as you're trying desperately to dodge his barrage of attacks. "Your main focus keeps being to protect your face. Stop doing that! Your head isn't the only part of your body that an enemy will attack, you know!"

        Gritting your teeth, you catch his foot just as it's about to kick you in the gut and flip him onto the clearing. "I only received a little bit of instruction from my former sensei years ago and I never made it to chunin, so give me a break!"

        "There are no breaks for a Jūryoku!"

 

 

        "Here, I've managed to get a hold of some new medication. How's your head?" Kakashi asks one hot and sweaty day, taking your hand and slapping two new bottles of pills into your free hand and wrapping your fingers around them.

        You pop open one of the bottles and swallow down two pills dry, then throw them both into your pocket. "It's fine," you say, but Kakashi knows better. 'It's fine' is usually code for 'it could be better' with you. He pats you on the back and leads you up one of the large hills in the village. Right now was a good time to take advantage of being free for a few moments, and the two of you relished in it. Pausing in your walk to swipe the sweat from your mouth, you placed a hand on your hip and raked a hand through your hair.

        "It's really hot today," you moaned, cheeks flushed from the heat. Kakashi nods, but when you look up at him he's staring intently at something not too far off. Curious, you glance over in the direction of where he was staring. You frown and furrow your eyebrows upon seeing a cloaked member of the ANBU standing atop the edge of a cliff several meters away, watching you with their empty panda-styled mask.

        Uneasiness grips your form at the sight of being watched so closely. Lately, you'd been catching ANBU watching you everywhere you went, and it was very unnerving. Danzo was the paranoid type, that much was for sure - but did he really have to go this far?

        "That's been happening a lot." You mumble to Kakashi in a hushed voice, and Kakashi reluctantly lets his one-eyed gaze slip away from the ANBU.

        "I've noticed."

 

 

        A pigeon connects with the grassy earth, walking along it's surface and occasionally plucking a random seed from the ground.

        "Do you feel it?" Maharoda asks beside you. Your eyes are squeezed shut while you concentrate.

        "Yes," you quietly reply.

        "Try expanding your vision. Do it little by little, don't go too fast." He instructs, and you nod shakily. Around the pigeon is a couple of fallen leaves that get blown across the ground by the wind, then you begin to feel the patter of feet and the rumble of construction vibrating in the ground. Before you're able to expand any more, you lose the scene, and double over. The concentration it took to see that much with the seismic sense wore you out.

        "Easy, now." Maharoda pats your back. "It takes time, but you'll get the hang of it."

        The two of you are standing beneath a tree near the outskirts of the inside of the village, relishing in the shade it's leaves provided you while you practiced your seismic sense. Baaton and Saitihi were out helping construction while the two of you worked, so it'd been a couple of hours since you'd seen them.

        "It takes a lot more energy than I initially thought," you breathlessly grumble.

        "Nah," Maharoda waves you off with a flippant gesture of his hand. "You're just concentrating too hard. You gotta be more loose, y'know?"

        "What the fuck does that even mean?"

        "It means you have to be more loose."

        "I still don't understand."

        "It means to not concentrate on concentrating so hard, you dummy!" Maharoda scolds, slapping you upside the head. You whine at the action, but otherwise keep your mouth shut. "Stop trying to focus on focusing, or else you won't focus at all! Stop being so uptight!"

        "That's really hard when you haven't done this sort of thing before!" You protest, snapping at your sibling. Maharoda crosses his arms indignantly, tipping his nose in the air. "Stop making up excuses and just do what I say!"

        "Why should I?!" You scowl.

        "Because I said so!" Maharoda bites back, staring at you in such a way that gave you no room to argue. Haughtily grumbling under your breath, you snatch your water bottle from the ground and stomp off. Maharoda remains in his spot, watching you leave with an alarmed look on his face. "Where are you going?" He calls after you, but you keep walking. "I'm going to help Baaton and Saitihi!"

        "But what about training?!" He whines, holding his arms out in the air, clothes swishing with the movement. "We just started to make progress on your seismic sense! Hey, wait, come back!"

 

 

        Danzo was dead, suddenly - and with that, came the news of the Fourth Shinobi World War. A shiver traveled up your spine at the news.

        Maharoda, Baaton, Satihi, and yourself all sat around a table on the floor in the center of the living room. The village was mostly rebuilt now, and with that came an entire new home that the four of you built to live in until something came up. A candle sat on the umber brown table, dancing on its wick and illuminating the dark room. Four shadows danced along the sliding doors of your home, further increasing the secrecy of the conversation.

        Saitihi sat right beside you, muscular arms tautly crossed over his chest and a serious look slapped on his face as he stared at the candle on the table. "Do you think we should head back to Kumo?" He wondered in his deep voice, glancing up to look at Baaton and Maharoda. The former is holding the bridge of his pointed nose in his masculine hands, eyes squeezed shut from his headache.

        "It's a gamble to just start traveling after something like this is announced. Who knows what could happen once we leave Konoha right now? An ambush could happen at any moment in our journey!"

        Maharoda rubs his chin, back ramrod straight as he's staring off into space. He's thinking about something - you can see it written on his face with the way one eyebrow is slightly lowered onto his eye and his lips are pursed. "That is true, but think about the possible consequences of staying here longer, guys. Naruto Uzumaki is a target of the Akatsuki and the village has already been attacked once because of him. What do you think would happen if another attack happened here? The first one was already crushingly devastating and many lives were lost!"

        "Yes, but everyone came back," you jumped in, holding your palm upright in the air. "And the village has recovered quite fast after all of the demolition."

        Saitihi cut you off by putting his own hand in the air to silence you. "What you say is true, little girl," you scowled at the nickname, "but that was a mere lucky chance. Naruto swayed the leader of the Akatsuki to change his mind that time, but what about next time? Not everyone the kid meets is going to instantaneously become a good guy and suddenly feel remorse for their actions. The world just doesn't work that way. I say we leave for Kumo as soon as possible."

        You huff and shake your head. "But I have... I have a friend here," you growl, frustration beginning to settle in at the idea of the four of you just leaving. "I can't just--"

        "(Name)," Maharoda sternly called you, silencing your tongue. "That Hatake guy is... he's a great guy, I get it. You're good friends and all, but I've seen him handle himself in battle before. You have to suck it up when it comes to whatever choice we come to make together - as a team."

        Baaton lets go of the bridge of his nose and scratches it. "I say we vote." He quickly rushes out before someone can talk over him, and everyone else quietens down for a few moments.

        "That's stupid." Saitihi bluntly says, scowling at the man sitting across from him at the table. Baaton huffs indignantly, "Yeah, but at least we can come to a decision that way," he argues. "All I see happening here is emotional crap getting in the way of reason."

        "You're one to talk!" Saitihi heatedly says, "'Reason', you say? You want to stay cooped up in this leafy village without thinking about the consequences of staying here!"

        "And you aren't thinking about what the Akatsuki announced at the Kage Summit!" Baaton sits up straighter and leans over the table, palm flat on it's surface while an accusing finger is pointed at Saitihi. "Who knows where they're at right this moment? There could be an ambush waiting for some ninja to walk through the woods! I don't feel like dying yet!"

        "Relax," Maharoda stressed over Baaton's furious words, holding out both hands to shut up the two men. "Baaton has a point. We should vote to see if we stay here or not."

        "Are you serious?!" Saitihi scowls harder than before. "You're siding with his stupid idea?"

        "Shut up and listen," Maharoda growls, canines baring under his curled lips like an angry dog. After everyone shuts up (which took quite a bit of effort), Maharoda runs a hand through his undercut. "All in favor of staying here through the winter?"

        Baaton and yourself raise your hands, and you glance around the table. Fifty percent - shit.

        "Oh for fuck's sake," Saitihi slams his forehead down on the table. "This is so fucking stupid!"

        You face-palm, both elbows on the surface of the table in defeat. If not even the vote could settle the debate, then how was the decision to be made? You guessed that if Kakashi really would be alright without you leaving, you could go. But even then, it still left you feeling a bit sad. You didn't want to part from your friend, but the other half of you argued that you wanted to meet the rest of your clan, you couldn't deny that. Tension made your muscles still when you felt your brother and the man beside you staring intently at you.

        "What?"

        "What do you think, (Name)?" Your brother questioned, a serious look on his face. "You haven't met the other clansmen yet, and you still have a lot of training to do. You'd benefit from training in Kumogakure, especially since there are a lot of scholars in our clan and advanced combatants to help teach you." Upon seeing the uneasy look on your face, he places a hand on your shoulder, fingers gently digging into the fabric of your shirt. "It's unsafe to learn here, (Name). There are ANBU everywhere watching us, not to mention we can't really access your full strength without destroying stuff here - thank goodness we haven't done that yet." He adds under his breath.

        A frown etches it's way onto your lips. "I..."

        "Look, all I'm saying is that you'd get better at your combat a lot faster in Kumogakure, and you'll finally be able to really learn the culture of your clan!" Maharoda insists, his features stressing. "You have to make a choice. I can't teach you everything before who knows when the next village attack will be, and that'd just make you a liability. We'll continue your medication over in Kumo, so that's covered..." he looked for something else to change your mind with. "You'll meet our aunt, our cousins, hopefully your relationship with Saitihi will get better and then you'll stop giving each other death-stares--"

        Both you and Saitihi scoffed at the same time.

        "I'm just throwing it out there!" Maharoda threw his hands up defensively, cracking a half-hearted smile. Saitihi, as much as he wanted to argue with that last statement, agreed with everything else that his friend said. "Maharoda holds good points, (Name). That, and I just really wanna get the fuck outta here," he adds, sticking his pinkie into his ear and twisting it. You cringed in disgust. "At least you're honest about it," you slowly said, watching him flick some earwax from his finger.

        Baaton, from the opposite side of the table, was scowling at the candle the entire time. He looked utterly displeased with the conversation, but refrained from saying anything else. He really didn't want to leave Konoha, it seemed. Guilt made you sigh and rake a hand through your messy (color) hair before stiffly holding the back of your neck, nose in the air. "I suppose... we could make the trip over to Kumogakure before winter fully sets in." Reluctance coated your voice and your lip pouted out.

        Maharoda hissed out a yes! beneath his breath. He leaned over the corner of the table and ruffled your hair. "That's my good little sister," he grinned, laughing voice full of relief. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. "We should probably tell Lady Tsunade before we leave, don't you think?"

        "I don't really care," Saitihi said, getting up from the table and heading towards one of the white sliding doors. "As long as we get going soon, I don't give a shit what happens." And with that, Saitihi is gone into the room that the four of you sleep in, shuffling soon heard after the door slides shut after him.

        Baaton leaves without a word, grumbling under his breath all the while. He steps outside to get some fresh air.

        Later that night, you're left to your thoughts, laying down on your futon on the floor, sandwiched between Saitihi and Maharoda. Saitihi is snoring heavily and he's laying flat on his stomach, arms hugging his pillow beneath his head. His nose twitches. Rolling over under your blanket to turn over to your brother, you see that he's laying on his back, but his thick quilt is pulled all the way up to the tip of his nose. Comfortable little bastard, you internally chuckle. At least your brother doesn't snore like an elephant.

        Maybe it really is a good thing that you're leaving for Kumogakure. Kakashi could maybe write you letters while you're over in the Lightning Country, that's the safest it'd be anyways. You wouldn't want him to travel across the land where there's possible dangers lurking around every corner now that the fourth war was announced. A sigh leaves you, your breath warming up the blanket that was hugged over the lower half of your face.

        Tsunade couldn't keep the four of you from leaving, especially now that you were deemed to no longer be a threat. Maharoda and Saitihi decided on leaving tomorrow morning at dawn, the absolute soonest they'd want to leave after getting a good night's rest. You'd barely have any time to say goodbye to Kakashi, you sadly thought.

        Then an idea flickered in your mind. Shuffling out of your futon as quietly as you could, you tiptoed down the wooden paneled flooring and made your way outside, careful to not trip over Baaton's feet that were sticking out of his blanket. The outside air was humid and slightly cool, with everything being coated in dew and a thick fog blanketing over the village. Your bare feet met with the wet grass just beyond the porch and a little shiver went up your spine at the slimy feeling.

        Deciding to go before you lost too much sleep, you silently dashed through the village alleyways and streets before you were met with Kakashi's new home. He'd gotten a house this time now that the village was rebuilt, but that made you sigh with gratefulness. It'd be much easier to sneak around with him having a house instead of being afraid of waking up his potential neighbors if he still lived in an apartment. Using what little skill you had in your seismic ability, you hopped over the privacy fence surrounding a portion of his home and made your way over to his bedroom window.

        Tap, tap, tap. The nail of your pointer finger gently scraped over the glass of his window, and a few moments later the curtain concealing the inside view of his room was pushed to the side. Kakashi glanced out and saw you waiting there, and without further ado he rolled up his window. Sticking his head through and hands holding on to the window pane, he looked at you with a baffled look.

        "(Name)? It's 2 AM in the morning. What are you doing here?"

        You grinned, your toes digging into the wet grass beneath you. "Whaddup," you greeted. "Wanna go do something?"

        Kakashi gave you a funny look beneath his mask. "What do you mean? Everything's closed right now."

        "We don't have to go to a restaurant," you quickly said. "We can go sit on top of Hokage Mountain and talk, you know?"

        The silver-haired man stared at you in silence. A beat passed. "Why are you so quick to want to hang out with me?"

        "Oh, you know. I'm just bored."

        He gave you a look. "No you're not. Who comes knocking on their friend's window in their bed clothes at two in the morning, spontaneously wanting to do something?"

        A groan left you, and you threw your hands in the air. "Oh my god, will you just come with me!"

        He chucked and leaned back inside of his bedroom, mumbling a 'hold on a second' before shutting his window. You waited outside in his back yard for about five minutes before he walked out of his back door, making sure to lock it shut behind him. He was clad in a simple pair of sweats and a baggy tee, but you noticed that Kakashi lacked any shoes.

        "Where are your shoes?" You asked, staring at his pale feet with a cocked eyebrow.

        "I feel weird wearing shoes with sweatpants, and I don't feel like taking twenty minutes to put on my uniform." He says, stuffing his key in his pocket and turning to you. "Besides, no one's around to see so it's fine."

        "I've just never seen you walk outside without any shoes. It's weird. Also, it takes you twenty minutes?" You asked, hopping over the fence after him. "I could put on that uniform in, like, five minutes flat."

        Kakashi shrugs and begins to lead you towards the Hokage Mountain, hands stuffed in his pockets. "It's the white strips you have to put on your calves," he elaborates. "It takes a bit of precision to keep them from unraveling whenever you're running and whatnot."

        "Sounds dumb."

        He snorts and scratches behind his ear. "A little bit, but you get used to it after a while."

        Soon, the two of you made it to the top of the cliff, preferably on top of Hashirama's head. Your legs swung back and forth over the edge and your arms were propped back, as were Kakashi's. He stared over the village, the orange glow of the street lamps adding a calm and quiet feeling to the AM atmosphere. He stifled a yawn beneath his mask.

        "It's so quiet," you whispered, embracing the tranquility of the air. Kakashi agreed with you, eyes blearily falling shut momentarily in his tired state. "It's nice." He adds.

        A small, subtle frown makes it's way onto your lips. "I'm leaving tomorrow at dawn," you suddenly say in a flat voice, and Kakashi blinks before turning his chin to look at you. He observes the way you're avoiding eye contact and how the corners of your lips are down turned. "Well, that's sudden," he half-jokes, surprise in his voice. "Why?"

        Sigh. "Maharoda and Saitihi are antsy and they want to bring me back to Kumogakure to continue my training. My brother said that I'll get a lot more help when I'm surrounded by my clansmen, but they also don't want to stick around if there's another attack to happen here."

        "You didn't mention Baaton. What's his standing on the matter?" Kakashi questions, turning away to look back down at the village.

        "He doesn't want to leave. He thinks it's dangerous to leave right now, especially since the Fourth Shinobi World War has been announced." Your voice drops a few octaves. "I didn't want to leave either. I'll miss you... with you being the only one to be there for me, and all..." Embarrassment and shyness makes your cheeks redden at admitting that you'll miss someone.

        "I'll miss you too," Kakashi returns, leaning forward on his knees when you did. "But it'll be fine. You won't be leaving for forever. After all, it's only to complete your training, right? After this war is over, we'll see each other all the time. Maybe I'll come over and bring you some banana pie, Kakashi's special dish."

        You giggle at his joke. "Your banana pie is really good. You've gotta give me the recipe sometime."

        "But then it wouldn't be as special, you see?" He eye smiles. "In return, you can teach me some of that seismic sense you've been talking about.

        "Oh, please. You have a sharingan, I'm pretty sure my seismic sense is nothing compared to that. Besides, it's not that good yet anyways."

        "Ah, but there are so many pros to the seismic sense that the sharingan doesn't have! It's like the byakugan, but with your feet. Who doesn't want that?" Kakashi reasons, chuckling. "You have lightning release, super strength, and the ability to see miles around you with your feet. That's crazy."

        "Stop buttering me up, Hatake." You huff, smiling at the silver-headed man. Silence consumes the two of you while you sit on the edge of the mountain. You really will miss that annoying Hatake once you depart, but you figured... it'd just have to be that way.

        "Hey," Kakashi calls you, but you refrain from looking up at the man to keep him from seeing your glistening eyes. He rubs your shoulder in a comforting manner, thumb rolling over the bone beneath your skin. "I will miss you. We can send each other letters via messenger birds. You'll be like, 'Saitihi's being an asshole again,' and I'll be like, 'Guy still wants to spar with you.'"

        A giggle left you and you sniffled, wiping away the wetness at your eyes. "I feel bad that I haven't done it with him yet."

        "Don't feel bad," he consoles. "I haven't shown anyone my face yet."

        "Yeah, but--" you turn to him and freeze, lips parted upon seeing him as a whole, maskless. He's smiling down at you with his bicolored eyes, and you take in the sight of the freckle at the corner of his chin and the scar over his eye that goes down his cheekbone.

        "I'll admit," you breathed, shocked, "you look a lot different than what I thought you'd look like."

        "Let's keep this between us," Kakashi laughs. "You're the only person who's seen my face aside from my father. You should feel honored." He jokes, whole face smiling. You slap his shoulder, and he only laughs some more at your reaction. "Why'd you decide to show me?"

        Kakashi sighs. "You... you're my friend," he quietly says. "Guy is my friend, too, but... no one wanted to be my friend as much as you did when we were kids. You're really important to me," he adds, and your breath hitches at the honesty. "It shocked me so much back then that all I wanted to do was push you away more. Now, I realize... that there's nothing I'd rather do than be there for you... and that includes you seeing my face."

        A heartfelt smile melts onto your face. "Aw..." you whisper. "That's so sweet, Kakashi... I don't know what to say..."

        "Don't say anything," he smiles, lips twitching. "All I want from you is for you to trust me as a friend. I want you to understand that you're valued, greatly. Even if you think no one is there for you, there's always someone out there who... likes you."

        "Thank you, Kakashi," you pull your knees up to your chest and hum contentedly. "You're my best friend."

        Kakashi nods, eyes a little downcast. But then he picks his smile back up and ruffles your hair, much like how Maharoda did hours ago. "Let's get back. Maybe you can have a bite to each at my place before you sneak back into your house, I'm sure you're hungry."

        "Yes, please!"


	36. Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for some soft nsfw.

        "Could you please stop walking so close to me? It's annoying." You told Saitihi as the four of you walked through the woods, backpacks strapped over your shoulders. It was the first day on the journey over to Kumogakure, and so far you weren't really enjoying it. The air was cold, the soles of your feet felt frozen, and the tips of your ears stung from the temperature. The sun was at it's highest point in the sky, but only a fraction of its warmth made its way to your back.

        Saitihi snickered, but otherwise said nothing to your comment and relentlessly continued to walk a little too close to your feet for comfort. Every now and then you could feet his own brush against your heels and it annoyed the shit out of you. Good thing you weren't wearing shoes, because if you were he'd have pulled them off three times over and received a punch in the face by 7 AM.

        Right now, he was looking up to receive one in two seconds.

        "I still don't want to be here." Baaton groaned, fists clenched tightly around the straps on his shoulders. He'd been mumbley the entire trip so far, and the three of you had only been traveling for a couple of hours now. The couple of months that you had known Baaton, you'd never seen him complain as much as right now. It was a little weird for his character to whine so much, so curiosity got the better of you.

        You turned around as you walked, hands swaying by your sides. Baaton was at the rear of the group, a grumpy look to his normally thoughtful face. "Why did you really want to stay in Konoha over the winter?"

        "What, you think there's some underlying reason?"

        You glanced around. "Well," you shrugged, "yeah."

        A heavy sigh left the man, and he dipped his chin. After several moments of him battling himself, he mumbled something under his breath.

        "What?" You questioned, straining your ears to hear what he said. Baaton's face flushed red at having to repeat himself, but he stomped his foot. "There was someone I liked there! I wanted to spend some more time with them!"

        You became stunned at the grumpy confession, lips parting in surprise.

        Saitihi whirled around and began to walk backwards just like you were. A devilish grin consumed the lower half of his face, and in that instant you knew he was about to say something to pick on the younger man. "Why are you being so secretive, little guy?" He cooed. "Got something more to tell us about this crush of yours? Lemme guess, was it that guy who worked the vegetable stand we frequented?"

        Baaton became three shades darker, and you choked on a laugh. "Oh, Baaton..."

        "Shut up! He was cute, okay?!" Baaton hissed, stomping ahead of the two of you to walk ahead of Maharoda, who was leading the group down the trail.

        "I never knew," you whispered, staring at the back of Baaton's head. Saitihi shrugged, but smirked. "I did. He's never subtle when he likes someone since he's so bad at flirting. It's pretty fuckin' funny."

        You snorted good-naturedly, smiling sweetly at Baaton as you walked. It was cute that he sucked at flirting, and how badly he had blushed when Saitihi easily unmasked his secret. Shaking your head and letting out a short breath of air, you continued to walk and glanced all about the scenery the four of you passed. The browning, dried up leaves that had fallen from the trees got caught by a sudden wind, making them fly all about and scatter along the trail.

        "So did you like that Kakashi guy, or something?" Saitihi suddenly said, pulling you from your thoughts.

        "Huh?" You asked, dazed.

        Saitihi readjusted the straps over his shoulders. "Did you like that Hatake dude? The guy you hung out with all the time."

        You wrinkled your nose at the question, flabbergasted. "No," you denied. "I just knew him from when we were kids and then we became good friends."

        Saitihi snorted at your answer, "Well is there someone that you do like?"

        "Why the hell are you asking me this?" You inquired, defensive all of a sudden. Crossing your arms over your chest and sending the tall, muscular man a glare, you huffed out of your nose.

        Saitihi shrugs, completely ignoring your reaction to the question. "I dunno. Just making conversation since I'm bored as all hell."

        "You're always bored, though."

        He shrugs again, then spits out some phlegm onto the ground. You cringe in disgust at the display, but otherwise keep your mouth shut. "You know, you remind me a lot of someone," you ventured, your memories dragging your mind towards a certain scythe-wielding Jashinist whom you were partnered up with once upon a time. Saitihi and Hidan had a lot in common, you'd come to realize - they were both gross, cursed a lot, and had a very crude humor. Although one of them refrained from murdering people constantly, you'd take what you could get of some normality for once.

        "Did he have a muscular ass like me?" Saitihi wonders, scratching his washboard stomach.

        You blank. "No. He was a fucking jerk and I hated him."

        "You don't hate me." Saitihi purred, playfully snapping his teeth at you, but you only grew red in the face and then the man smirks. "You're so fun to mess with. You always get red in the face when you're thinking about punching me... like right now."

        "My face is not red!"

        "Leave her alone, Saitihi," Maharoda chides from the front of the group, sighing. "If she ends up hitting you, I won't come in to help."

 

 

        It was about twelve in the morning when you made it into the Land of Frost, and by then all of you were very tired. Feet frozen and teeth chattering, you all continued to trudge through the snow until in the distance, Maharoda caught the faintest hint of candlelight through the thick barrage of snow.

        "I hope that's going to be our place to stay for the night," he said through grit teeth, "because it's cold as balls out here and I don't like it."

        "Tell me about it," Baaton agreed, pushing forward. "The trip through here sucks as much this time as it did the first time around, since back then it wasn't snowing. Now, I feel like I'm gonna get carried away by the wind!"

        Saitihi grunts out his frustration, ever the one to make a snappy remark. "Shut up and just keep walking! I don't want to spend all night out here in this deep shit," he growled. Baaton threw a rude gesture over his shoulder to the muscular man, but Saitihi obliged to ignore it.

        Behind the rest of the group, you fought to keep going through the snow. With what little seismic sense you were able to learn you were able to keep track of where the group was, but the task became increasingly difficult when your eyes kept drooping shut as they were. Gritting your teeth to keep trekking along, a hint of panic began to seep through your veins when their figures became increasingly farther and farther away, until you were completely unable to see them altogether due to the thick snowfall. Frowning deeply, you dipped your chin into your collar.

        Your knees were shaking from walking for so long, but they were also incredibly numb from your bare feet being buried in the thick blanket of snow for so long. Before you were able to take another step, you tripped on your own feet and descended towards the white ice beneath you.

        And then a pair of strong, firm hands caught you by the waist from behind.

        The pair of hands picked you up from beneath your knees and shoulder blades, sweeping you off of your feet in a flurry of snow and cloth. A sudden flush of warm chakra enveloped your form, filling you with more energy than you had all day. Looking up with your hazy vision, your breath stilled upon seeing a bright red sharingan gazing down at you through the single hole in that familiar swirly orange mask, observing you.

        "Hello," Tobi greeted in that signature deep voice of his, the rumble of his chest making your entire body shiver.

        You stared up at him with wide, doe-like eyes, lips parted and mouth dry. "... Hi," you breathed, unable to comprehend that Tobi had just saved you from collapsing and passing out in the snow.

        You say nothing, opting to just stare up at him with a flushed face despite the cold. You snap your mouth shut, completely dazed as you stare deep into his swirling red sharingan. Tobi's eye softens momentarily as he stares down at you, your hair blowing in the wind, as is his.

        "(Name)?!" Maharoda worriedly shouts through the loud wind, snow crunching in the distance.

        Both yours and Tobi's heads snap up at the sound, but Tobi seems reluctant to remove his arms from your person. He sets you down as gently as possible into the snow and bends at the knees in front of your sitting form. Your breath hitches and butterflies go haywire within your tummy when Tobi's gloved hand reaches up to gently rub your cheek, his thumb swirling soothing circles over your soft skin.

        Tobi is obviously not wanting to withdraw from you until the very last second when Maharoda's foggy, faded form can be seen through the snow a few meters away.

        "(Name)?!"

        Finally, the mysterious man withdraws from you, and then becomes intangible as his form quickly slips into the ground, disappearing forever once again.

        "(Name)! There you are!" Maharoda sighs, worry fading away as he comes up to you and picks you up. "I was worried! What happened? Did you trip?"

        Your eyes are still glued onto the spot where Tobi disappeared into the ground, eyes as wide as saucers. Your heart is still beating faster than it ever has at the encounter and your stomach is still flipping, but somehow you find a way to speak to your sibling despite the feeling. "U-Uh... yeah," you quietly mumble, allowing your brother to carry you in his arms towards the lodge they had found. "Sorry, I haven't walked on my feet for so long in a long time. It wore me out a little faster than I expected," you fumbled, clearing your throat and trying to dry your clammy, sweaty hands. "Sorry," you repeat.

        "It's fine!" Maharoda grins, walking up to the doorstep of the lodge where Saitihi and Baaton were waiting in the dim, orange candlelight of the lantern that hung over the door. "Just don't get lost next time. You had us all worried, even big bad Saitihi over here."

        "Shut the fuck up, Maha!" Saitihi hisses, but you let a cautious smile slip at the newfound information.

        However, even as Baaton books separate rooms for the four of you, your mind is still captivated by the encounter with Tobi.

        Was I just... seeing things?

 

 

        You laid in your rolled out futon on the floor of your room, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness of the night. The blizzard continued to roar outside of your window throughout the night, but you couldn't sleep. Pulling the quilt up to your nose and breathing in the woodsy smell, you curled your toes beneath the large blanket to try and rid yourself of the string of nerves.

        The feeling of your heart beating through your rib cage was still making your stomach flip.

        Rolling over beneath your blanket, you raked your hands through your messy (color) hair and sighed deeply into the futon.

        "I see you still have a habit of overthinking things."

        You jumped at the quiet, deep voice behind you, but you knew exactly who it was.

        "You make it hard for me to think about anything else," you whispered in the darkness, the thick curtains over the only window in the room shrouding all four walls in black.

        There was silence for a while. A pin dropping could be heard on the flooring from the air being so quiet, but you didn't want to speak, as you had a feeling that Tobi was about to say something.

        A gloved hand gently rolled the blanket down your side in the darkness before your hand was hesitantly enveloped in his own, and he rolled you over on your back. You couldn't even see the outline of his figure from it being so dark within the room, but something about the atmosphere made this so much more... intimate. A hand trailed down your cheek, and you hesitantly leaned into his palm.

        "Why can't I ever see your face?" You whispered, frowning.

        "... You would not be able to handle it." He whispers just as quietly, fingers wrapping around your own in the gentlest touch that he can offer you. You feel sad at the words he speaks, but before you can stop yourself, you lift your free hand up to his mask, your fingertips tracing over the swirls engraved in the material.

        "Tobi," you breathe, "can I take off your mask?"

        He says nothing in return, but he withdraws his hands from your person.

        Slowly taking your chance, you hesitantly let the tips of your fingers reach beneath that infamous mask that's claimed his identity. You pause when your fingers are about to pull it off, testing the waters between the two of you, but still Tobi does not react. Cautiously, you finally slip off his mask and place it on the floor beside your futon and reached up to touch his face, still needing to pull down what felt like the mask that Kakashi usually wore over his own face.

        When your fingers ghosted across Tobi's skin, you felt the man's breath hitch at the tender feeling. His skin felt normal on the right side of his face... but when your fingers trailed over to the other side, you felt his muscles tense. The skin was rough and calloused as if he had been badly burnt, or maybe scarred. You caressed the scarred side of his face with a gentle touch, your heart beating a mile a minute. Hand trailing down the side of his face, you follow the scarred lines across his skin until your index finger was trailing down the corner of his lips.

        "You feel..." you breathed, unable to think of a proper word to describe what you felt at that moment.

        "Hideous," he mumbled, sighing dejectedly.

        "No," you deny quietly, your back still flat on the futon. "... gorgeous." You smile in the darkness, a certain tenderness taking over your person that you've never felt before. "Tobi, I..."

        Obito tenses when you describe his face in such a tender manner that he can't speak. He feels nervous, somehow, when you let your hands trail down his collar bones.

        A pair of lips ghost across your own, clearly hesitant to edge forward. Your fingers grip onto his biceps as he slowly leans down over you, nails gently digging into the thin fabric hugging his muscles. You can feel his breath on your lips, and excitement chews at your very being, a type of warmth you've never experienced before going down between your legs.

        "Tobi," you whisper, "kiss me."

        And he does. His lips crash into yours with desperation and need, just as yours do with just as much excitement and passion as he's feeling. You're both inexperienced in the art of kissing another human being, but none of you can tell as you're just too consumed in the moment. Tobi picks you up in his strong arms and places you on his lap while he's sitting on the heels of his feet which are keeping him upright, quickly wrapping your legs around his.

        Your hands hold onto both sides of his face while one of his entangle in your hair, the other wrapping around your waist to keep you steady. After a few more feverish kisses, Tobi pulls away slightly, trying to catch his breath at the act he just engaged with you. His forehead rests in the crook of your neck while you fight to catch your breath as well, panting.

        "I'm sorry," he whispers, "you don't deserve this, (Name). You didn't deserve anything I did to you." He sounds utterly heartbroken and guilty as his fingers begin to dig into your night clothes, his throat constricting. "I failed you. I couldn't help you when it mattered most, and I'm so sorry." Tobi's voice begins to shake as he holds you in his lap, face buried in your shoulder.

        You can't help but coo in his ear, "It's alright."

        "No it isn't," he said, a warm wetness beginning to seep through your bed shirt. "You suffered with me, but once you got to Konohagakure... you were so much happier. I could tell. I could see it and hear it in your voice... To think that I thought... that I'd be able to help your injury on my own... it was foolish." Tobi leans back into the wall, still holding you close, chest-to-chest. "I am a villain to you, (Name). Even now, I'm... I'm too much of a coward to show my face to you!"

        "Shh," you whispered, wiping the tears from his face. "I don't care about that, and it's okay. You couldn't have known how to treat my injury by yourself anyways, so I won't hold it against you. It's fine."

        Tobi hiccups quietly, pulling you so close to his chest that you forget how to breathe. His body wracks with the silent sobs he's crying through, unable to release his frustration towards himself and his actions any other way. "I want to tell you so badly, but I'm so scared to," he said into your shirt, pulling up his knees to your back and effectively sandwiching you.

        "Tell me what, Tobi?" You kissed the corner of his mouth while you held both sides of his face with your hands. Tobi shakes his head in his frustration and sighs. "(Name), can you promise me something?" He asks in that deep voice of his, cupping the back of your head as he held you close to him. You nod in encouragement, and he's quiet for a few moments.

        "You are more important to me than you realize. (Name), I..." he trails off in hesitance, swallowing thickly. "I am in love with you, (Name)."

        Your heart flutters at his confession, face as hot as burning coals.

        "I've been in love with you for many, many years," he continues on, rubbing your back. "I'm in love with the way that you always get up, even when times are tough. I'm in love with the way that you sass at others. I'm in love with the way that you keep your determination, always." Tobi chuckles at something he recalls. "Even the way you (cute quirk of yours)."

        "And your (beauty mark)... you're just, you're so enrapturing, (Name)," Tobi finishes, sighing. "I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear or if... it made you uncomfortable. I've wanted to say this to you for a very, very long time--"

        He's cut off by your lips, which are fervently kissing his own scarred ones with a new type of passion. He's caught off guard for a moment, but soon finds himself melting into the kiss, biting your bottom lip. His hands ghost down your waist and over your tummy to just under your breasts, but he refrains from becoming inappropriate with you, even as much as he wants to. Your tongue gently prods at his own lip, and Tobi pauses for a moment, unsure. But, eventually lets you in, your own tongue fighting with his as his fingers dig into your hair, tousling it.

        You depart for air, but Tobi is quick to kiss and lick the sensitive spot on your neck. "I'm in love with you, too," you whimper. "So, so much."

 

 

        The next morning, you and the others trailed out of the lodge, backpacks tight around your shoulders. You can't help but let a couple yawns out upon walking outside, your cheek red from sleeping on it.

        "Damn, (Name)," Saitihi snickered, "your hair is really fucking messy. What'd you do last night?"

        Maharoda curtly slaps the man over the back of the head, an enraged expression on his face. "Hey! Shut the hell up, alright? Don't ask her that, you beast!"

        Your face is extremely beet red as you fight to get the tangles out of your hair with your fingers, hands shaking. Dammit!


	37. Jūryoku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big thanks to my editor rae for fixing up this chapter. :> <3

        Baaton, Saitihi, Maharoda and yourself kneel before the Raikage, all with varying degrees of respect for the leader. He towers over the four of you, glaring down with an intimidating, dark stare and thinning lips. The windows in the room are open, curtains blowing inwards as a calm, gentle breeze passes. His office is at the highest peak of the mountain in the village, giving him the best view.

        "Greetings, Lord Raikage,” Baaton coolly addresses, focusing on the wooden paneled floorboard beneath his bare feet, “We are back from our journey to Konohakagure."

        "Hmph. Three months late as well, it seems." Ay scowls, his old and weathered features wrinkling. You keep your own solemn gaze glued to the floor, but curiosity gets the better of you as you take a brief peek at the Raikage. Your mistake is noticed instantly as Ay’s harsh glare falls on you. You avert your gaze with a small smile on your face. “I am surprised that Princess Tsunade allowed her prisoner to relocate to Kumo. Tell me, woman, of your intentions?"

        Without lifting your gaze from the ground, you calmly reply: "I wish to train with my fellow clansmen in order to learn more about my hidden potential and aid this village during the Fourth War."

        Ay sneers, silently placing the tips of his callous fingers on the surface of his desk. "We do not need the help of an Akatsuki member, so you are gravely mistaken to assume that!" His voice is rough, making you wonder if he’s always this brutish. “However, seeing as Princess Tsunade has publicly declared you to be of no threat, I'll allow you to live within the Jūryoku compound.”

        You let out a breath. "Thank you, Lord Raikage."

        "Tch." Ay closes his eyes and takes a seat in the chair behind his desk. "Every one of you but Baaton is clear to leave my office."

        Not wasting a second, the four of you stand. You follow after Maharoda and Saitihi, listening to the large double doors slam shut behind you, and take in the reverberating thud. Maharoda rubs the base of his neck with a tense sigh. “Lord Raikage is snappier than usual today..." he murmurs, voice unsure. "Do you think it has something to do with the declaration of war?"

        Saitihi leads the way down the hall and towards one of the outer balconies of the building. Ever since the four of you stepped foot in the village, the brusque man became a lot calmer and less brash. You assume that his snappy personality was the cause of being homesick, and maybe that’s why he was so Hidan-ish before coming here.

         "It's a possibility, but I don't care to jump to conclusions." The muscular man opens the door to the balcony allowing Maharoda and you to step out first.

        When you walk out you realize there aren’t any stairs carved into the sedimentary rock supporting the balcony. Instead, there’s a railing lining the outer edge with no opening, giving the three of you a clear view of the entire village many stories below. You move towards the railing, grasping the cool bar and peer below and watch the villagers go about their day. “Why’d we come out here?” You cast your companions a look, brow furrowing as Saitihi closes the door.

        “We’re going to jump over there where the compound is,” Maharoda lifts his arm horizontally to the ground below and points towards another large compound built into the mountains, “That’s where our clan lives.”

The view from here isn’t much, but it’s enough to make your jaw drop. You were going to live in a compound with a stunning view of the village while simultaneously being surrounded by lakes. It felt surreal, to the say the least. To be able to live somewhere as beautiful as here.

        Saitihi places a single finger below your chin and applies pressure, snapping your mouth shut, teeth clacking on impact. “Come on, I don’t want to wait out here all day.” He hops onto the horizontal pole on the railing while the balls of his feet keeping him steady on the round, thin surface. Before you have the time to react, the man leaps into the sky. You wince as the sound of air whipping behind him makes your eardrums pop. Barely a second later, he’s nothing more than a dot in the distance as he lands atop the large roof of the Jūryoku compound.

        "He's only eager to get back because he wants to eat some of his mommy's 'welcome home' cooking," Maharoda snickers, following Saitihi’s lead and blasting into the air after him.

        You let out a giddy giggle and climb onto the railing, taking a second to breathe in the cool air through your nose. Then, using the railing as momentum, you jump. The wind lashes against you, whipping through your hair and clothes as you flail. Saitihi and Maharoda’s figures become clearer the closer you get. Using your gravity ability, you manage to slow down your descent a bit as both men catch you in your arms before you’re able to crash into the roof.

        "Don't go making holes into compound, stupid." Saitihi chides as the two of them help you stand up straight. Once you’re able, he turns away and makes his way towards a door built into the mountain.

        You rake a hand through your hair, sheepishly trying fix the newfound tangles and frizz. "What's going to happen once we go in?" You ask, unable to mask your anxiety.

        Saitihi opens the door and walks inside, followed by your brother and then you. You find yourself in a dark passageway, the stone beneath your skin growing cold. You follow the two men through the darkness and down a set of stairs, noticing the few flickering torches against the stone walls as you do.

        "Well, you'll have to meet our clan leader, of course." Maharoda drawls, peeping over his shoulder to look at you. "I suppose now is as good a time as ever to tell you about her, so listen carefully."

        You swallow thickly.

        "Her name is Koh Jūryoku, and she's a part of the main branch family. Koh is the strongest warrior in our clan, and she is very headstrong. On top of that, when you speak to Koh, do not speak with her unless spoken to; kneel before her when you are in her throne room; and do not flinch."

        "Why can't I flinch?" You wonder, voice light and airy from the anxiety growing inside you.

        "Koh sees this as a sign of weakness. You do not want to appear weak in front of the clan leader." Maharoda whispers, following Saitihi down the stairs and to another door. Saitihi opens it and the three of you walk through. "Do not look Koh in the eye, either. She will see this as a challenge to her authority."

        “Koh seems … very strict,” You mumble, eyes widening as you walk down a large, brightly lit stone hallway. "Why is she?"

        "You are the only one who can't look her directly in the eye, (Name)." Saitihi intervenes, side-eyeing you over his shoulder. “You have yet to prove your loyalty and worth to Koh, so by looking her in the eye, it looks as though you’re looking her down. For that alone, you will be shunned. Do you want to be shunned on your first day? Do you want to take the walk of shame?"

        "Saitihi, that isn't a thing anymore, and you know that." Maharoda sighs loudly, rolling his eyes at his friend’s behavior and punches the man’s arm.

        You peer curiously at the two men with a raised brow. “What's the 'walk of shame’?" You can’t help but ask and Saitihi snickers.       

        “You don't need to know," Your brother ruffles your hair, as if he’s trying to be reassuring. "For now, just focus on how you're going to greet Koh later. It won't happen right this minute since she's busy handling other matters, but she should have felt us arrive the moment we landed on the roof. Which means we need to get you ready for her."

        "You ready?" Maharoda questions, standing behind you.

        You brace your hands against the wall within the confines of Maharoda's bathroom, your shoulders quaking with anxiety. Your teeth grit at the thought of what was about to happen, and you were too scared to even open your eyes for fear that you would back out and call it quits, then go right back to Konoha.

        You shakily nod, managing to stutter out a ‘yes’.

        "Alright then." Maharoda pulls you towards the chair in front of the mirror, the white marble tiles giving off a soft patter as you walk. Once you’re sitting, he grasps a pair of scissors and snips them a few times. The sound causes you to let out a low squeal. "C'mon, it won't be that bad," Maharoda chuckles, brushing through your hair. "You'll look like a badass after all of this is over, don't you worry. It'll be quick, too."

        "Why do I need to cut my hair again?" You whine, a bead of sweat slipping down your temple.

        Maharoda takes a second to respond, too busy with combing through your messy hair. When he does, though, he appears to be absent-minded. "The clan leader takes first-appearances very seriously... and this haircut is the standard among our clansmen and women. If you bow in front of Koh with your hair as it is, she will not be pleased, since you are a Jūryoku woman. However, if you show up with this haircut, Koh might think a little more highly of you."

        "Isn't that a little judgmental?"

        "A little," He nods, sighing. "But the clan leader's word is usually law within our little domestic society, so there's little to do about it. Personally, I think you'll look great with my haircut."

        "Does it have to be an undercut?"

        "No, it can just be a regular pixie cut. I mean, unless you want an undercut... or a fade, maybe?" He plays with your hair, trying to figure out how he'll cut it with the pair of scissors in his hand. "There's a lot of different short-haired hairstyles for women, y'know. You aren't limited to just two options. It's just that short hair is our culture around here, and since you're new here, you might as well embrace your history, y'know what I mean?"

        A long, exaggerated sigh leaves your quaking lips. You understood. At least, you tell yourself you do. This is what you’ve always wanted; to be accepted and have a family. This gave you the chance for both. Cutting your hair, regardless of how much you don’t want to, is a small price to pay for that. As if sensing your sudden resolve, Maharoda takes a long lock of your hair between his fingers and raises the scissors in his free hand.

        Snip.

        The hardwood floor beneath your right knee hurts. Your leg has gone stiff, the feeling only adding to your discomfort. You do your best to ignore it, deciding to focus on keeping your face devoid of any emotions. It doesn’t help the anxiety that swirls inside you, or your longing to be back in bed.

        Koh sits in the traditional clan leader’s chair; the same one all previous leaders have reigned in. Her knees are spread far apart as one hand leisurely grips the end of the armrests. She leans back into the throne, a single hand placed against her lips as she picks under her thumbnail with her pointer finger. She stares down at you with narrow eyes, scrutinizing any flaw she can find.

        Not a single other soul is inside the throne room. Koh’s personal guards were told to stand outside while she had her personal time with you. However, you didn’t dare to speak, having been forewarned not to unless she spoke first.

        Koh cocks her head to the side, fingers lingering on the edge of her jaw. "What is your name?"

        "(Name) Jūryoku, Koh-sama." You lowly reply. The middle-aged woman rubs her chin, then slowly gets up from her chair. Your heart leaps to your throat in that moment, your fingernails starting to curl into the soft flesh of your knee.

        "You have cut your hair and said nothing during this meeting with your rightful clan leader. You remain stiff before me and have made sure to give me the proper respect... you have been taught well by someone. I assume it was your brother, hm?" Her voice is honeyed and slow, much like a woman who could threaten your life at any moment. She slowly circles around you, her bare feet stepping in front of your field of vision every few seconds. "I like your brother. He is a very noble clansman who is worthy of my praise... after all, he was the one who connected the dots concerning your true identity. Maharoda Jūryoku is a very smart young man, and for that I say well done."

        Koh pauses in her circling to stand right behind you.

        "However, I do not know about you." She stops talking after that, simply burning holes in the back of your head. The air is extremely thick, and you feel like any second you'll be falling forward on your face, unconscious. "You were a member of the Leaf Village during your childhood. Then, you deserted that life, took up a place in the criminal world as a thief, and eventually... you became a member of the cruelest organization the ninja world has ever known - the Akatsuki." She spits out the last word with so much venom that you feel your confidence plummet several notches. "Tell me why I should give you my blessing to assimilate into this clan, girl? Surely, you do have a reason prepared, or else you leave."

        This is the part you practiced for, you think as a deep frown etches its way onto your face. Don't lose your cool now, (Name).

         "I was lost during the bitter days of my past, and I truly, sincerely feel remorse for the pain that I have previously caused during my affiliation with the Akatsuki, Koh-sama..." You murmur. "I have learned the wrong of my ways during my time in Konoha and wish to give back to the world for what it's worth. I have a deep, burning desire within my heart to learn the ways of my true family and to be able to defeat the enemies in this war, as well as all of the foes of the future. This has been my plea... Koh-sama."

        Koh’s eyes harden, frowning as she thinks carefully over your words. "You want to help us in the war, hm?"

        "Yes, Koh-sama."

        "Even if it costs your life? Your opportunity to spend more time with your brother?" She persists.

        "Yes... Koh-sama."

        "You are an interesting girl, (Name)..." Koh trails off and takes a step back. Sweat rolls down the back of your neck as she walks around you and sits back into her throne, a subtle smirk planted on her worn features. "I will give you my blessing. You may excuse yourself, now."

        A breath you didn't know you were holding blew past your lips. "Thank you, Koh-sama." You stand up, bow, and turn around before excusing yourself from the cold air of Koh Jūryoku's room.

        Your reflection somberly stares back at you in the glass of the aquarium placed in Maharoda’s living room. The bubbly water glows, casting a beautiful sheen of blue over your face in the dark room. Your brother is in the kitchen making dinner for the two of you while you waited, lost in your thoughts as you watched two clown fish dance amongst an anemone in the water.

        What am I going to do once the war starts and I have to go out on the battlefield? What's going to happen once the war reaches its peak? How am I even going to help protect Kakashi and Maharoda at the same time if we get stationed away from each other? You sigh, rubbing a hand over your face as you squeeze your eyes shut.

        Everything is so complicated now. You kissed Tobi not even two days ago in the darkness of a bleak hotel room, the echoes of the snowstorm outside still in your thoughts. You allowed a man that called for this war to hold you, and you felt his face in return.

        What kind of person were you to fall for such a villain, and as hard as you did?

        There’s something about him, your mind keeps persisting. Something you can’t quite put your finger on, but you knew there was something more to him than he was letting on. Something almost … familiar. Whenever you thought about it, you couldn’t deny what your gut said. You uncovered the secret that Tobi isn’t the happy, charismatic and goofy person he pretended to be in the Akatsuki. And now, there’s another layer that you have yet to peel off. What the hell is it?

        Admittedly, you fell for that goofy charm of his and it pained you to realize that it reminded you of your childhood best friend, and first love, Obito Uchiha. It’s what caught your attention in the first place, but even after you learned it wasn’t his real self, you still felt drawn to something hidden behind that mask of his. It drives you mad knowing you can’t figure out what it is.

        “Hey, (Name)? Do you like eggs?" Maharoda absentmindedly calls from the kitchen, a few pots and pans clattering from within. The bright, welcoming light seeps into the living room and you catch his shadow occasionally breaking off the stream of light.

        His voice brings you out of your trance. You close your eyes briefly and breathe. “Uh, sometimes, but it depends on how you make them,” You answer, eyes finding a single black clown fish that strayed from the anemone to pick at something in the white sand at the bottom of the tank.

        "How do you like them?” He asks. “I'm making some noodles, since I don't feel like making a big dinner or anything tonight."

        You move from your place by the aquarium and to the futon placed in the middle of the floor, burrowing yourself beneath the covers and making sure to cover the tip of your nose. “Just pop it in a bowl and break the yolk while it’s in the broth,” You yell back, voice muffled by the comforter. Slowly, your eyes droop and your unconsciousness begins to drift, the calming noise of the aquarium filter and Maharoda’s quiet cooking lulling you to sleep.


	38. Letters

        Howdy, (Name).

 

        I don't know when this letter is going to reach you, but when it does, I would just like to say that it's been pretty quiet around the village without you here. So far, no one has made any late-night visits to my home to "hang out" since you left, so I'd say it's been quite boring.

        Everyone is working hard to make sure they survive this war, as am I. I'll have to admit that it's a little scary reentering another war, especially with how many deaths happened last time around. The desire to keep my students safe is stronger now than it's ever been before, and though I may already be a little self-destructive at times, I can't help but make sure that they - along with yourself -  survive, and that's all I care about.

        I miss you. I hope that when this letter finds you, you're in good health. Tell me everything about what's been happening over in Kumogakure in your response letter - I really want to know what's been going on with you.

 

        Your Friend

                Kakashi Hatake.

 

 

        Kakashi of the Sharingan:

 

        I'm very happy to receive news that you're doing alright. I suppose you really did mean it when we were going to send each other letters via messenger hawk, huh? Well, anywho. There's a lot that's happened within the past month of my arrival, but I'll try my best to sum it up so that the poor hawk delivering this letter won't be mailing pounds worth of minute details.

        My first day in Kumogakure was nerve-wracking, to say the least. My brother gave me a haircut for the sake of embracing my culture like I've been wanting to do for a long time, but now that my hair is so short on my scalp it feels weird without the tickling sensation of my long hair on my neck. After that, I met the Jūryoku clan leader who is a woman named Koh. She is very intimidating, but now that I am a month in to this curious journey I can't help but be fascinated by her. She truly is a strong and capable woman - perhaps, much stronger than Konan ever was, if you recognize the name. I have yet to see her in battle, however, so solidifying her talents in stone is out of the question right now. She gave me her generous blessing to be adopted back into the clan once more, and I am very grateful.

        I am to wear the traditional Jūryoku garb at all times whenever I am combat training. The outfit is very loose and extremely comfortable to maneuver around in, especially when I perform high kicks and low sweeps. Maybe that's what it was designed for - comfort and mobility. However, when I was being fitted so that the clan seamstress could make me my uniform, I... had a bit of trouble.

 

"Ow!" You yelp, ignoring the snickers coming from your brother in the background. The withered and graying old woman who was wrapping ruler tape around your waist growled at your persistence of not staying still. The tape had pinched the sensitive skin over your hip when she was working with her old yet nimble hands.

"Stay still, you wormy girl!" She barks, slapping you on the small of your back.

"I can't, I've never done this before! You're too close to mh-HOWOWOW!" You whirl around, wobbling atop the small stool you were standing on and tripping over your own feet, falling into a small box fill of leftover fabrics. Maharoda howls with laughter, doubling over and clutching his knees with both hands as tears escape his eyes.

The old, professional seamstress throws her measuring tape on the ground and stomps out of the room in an impatient fit, muttering under her breath all the while.

 

        I looked at myself in the mirror today. The training lessons I have been receiving from a man by the name of Hohepa have been paying off, as the skinniness in my limbs are being replaced by lithe muscles, day by day. It makes me feel confident in my abilities, and encourages me to practice harder and harder every training session. I come home with new bruises and wounds every evening, but it's all worth it in the long run. (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑

        Speaking of training sessions, my seismic sense ability is steadily getting better. It's easier to see things that I can't spot with my own eyes now, and the ability's a gift whenever I occasionally lose something in the flat I share with my brother. You were right - the seismic ability truly is useful. My concentration is usually what is exercised when I'm being trained to hone the ability, and it's become very helpful. It's even helped soothe my horrible lack of patience, and that has been improving as well.

        Living with Maharoda is much different than how it was when I lived with you. For one, Maharoda ruffles my hair constantly. He derives some kind of weird enjoyment from it that I don't understand... is that just an older brother thing, to constantly try and ruffle your younger sibling's feathers at any given chance? Either way, I don't hate him for it. It's a little irksome at times, but less so than when he did it when my hair was longer. Back then, if he ruffled my hair, my hair would turn into a crows nest. Now, my hair is easily attainable, even after Maharoda rubs his palm on my scalp. He really likes fish, too. He makes sure that his fish tank gets the best care at all times. It's kinda endearing, in a way, muscly man be so protective over some fish.

        He's very kind, Kakashi. I think that you and him could be good friends, if you'll give each other a chance.

        Some of the upperclassmen within the clan think I should not be here with them, but most of them are old coots anyways. I pay them no mind.

        I think this letter's gone on long enough. See you around, 'Bakashi'. (´;︵;`)

 

        Ciao, (Name)

                ｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡

 

 

        To (Name)

 

        I see what you did there with my name. I am not pleased. ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

        You seem to like drawing little doodles in your letters! I'll do the same. ٩( ᐛ )و Do you like it? It's actually kinda fun.

        But your letter seems sad. Why are you sad? Do you miss me? (n˘v˘•)¬ Because I miss you too. (;﹏;) Even though you said you were fine, I really do wish the best for you.

        I'm very happy that you're excelling in your training. Perhaps then you'll be able to fight Guy, because when he spars - he goes all out. Now you at least have some tricks up your sleeve. ヾ(＾-＾)ノ

        Maharoda did seem pleasant last time we met. He was a bit stoic and quiet, but very collected, like he knew what he was about. I'd be up to get a bite to eat with him sometime, after this war is over.

 

        Miss you a lot

                Kakashi.

 

        kakashi

 

        i'm homesick... (๑-﹏-๑) that's why I'm sad.

        jeez, you really went all out on the faces in your letter! it was cute, but even I don't use that many.

        i met my aunt mihi the other day. the first thing she did when she saw me was tug my ear and chide me for being 'caught up with the wrong crowd' back then. after that, she gave me a bear hug. for such a tiny old woman, she sure did have some strong arms. it shocked me.

 

You rub your reddening ear, tears pricking the corner of your squinted eyes as you pout. Aunt Mihi laughs, gesturing for you and Maharoda to come inside her home with an extra bounce in her step.

"So, where are your sons?" Maharoda wonders, eyes scanning over the familiar decorations in her living room to find nothing has changed, despite his several years absence from Mihi's household. "Usually, they'd be over here in a heartbeat when you announce that you're cooking a big dinner on a special occasion such as this."

Mihi giggles and pops open the oven under the stove, checking on the food that was baking in its confines. After deciding that it isn't done, Mihi puls off her oven mitts and slaps them onto the counter. "Awh, those boys are always out of the house these days. Ain't nothin' much I can do about it, so I don't. Either way, they're on a mission right now so you won't be seein' them tonight, I'm afraid."

While Mihi talks about your cousins, you find yourself in the dining room, staring at the shelves hanging over the walls that have family pictures and antiques on them. One particular framed picture catches your eye, so you reached up and pluck it from the shelf.

Maharoda, still in the kitchen, follows your aunt’s instructions and pulls out some celery and carrots from the fridge before setting them down on the kitchen island. "Last time I talked with Cuda he was seeing some girl, I think."

Mihi delightfully gasps and chuckles, "Oh, yes! They've been seein' each other for many months now, I'm sure! That girl is such a darling, I love her to death..."

Maharoda stops listening to Mihi talk, noticing you standing in the dining room with the familiar umber brown picture frame between your hands. He watches you stare down at the picture blankly, taking note of the subtle furrow of your brow.

In your hands is a family portrait of a woman with (color) hair and a man holding little boy his arms that looks a lot like your brother. They look content, careless. There’s not a worry in the world for them in this moment. You study their expression, finger tracing the outlines of the sweater your mother had been wearing and down towards the subtle roundness of her stomach.

There's no mistaking it. These are my parents, and there's my mom... pregnant with me.

Your eyes trail up to the vague smirk of your father, eyes shining with pride. His eyes are his most defining feature with the same shape and color as your own. And his hair, a shaggy mess, matches your new cut. I... I look a lot like my father, huh?

"Hey," Maharoda suddenly appears behind you, grasping your shoulder both reassuringly and protectively, "You okay?"

You keep your eyes glued to the picture, though.

"You look a lot like her," you murmur.

Maharoda's eyes glance down to your mother with a sudden forlorn expression on his masculine face. "Yeah," he chuckles dryly, "I know."

 

        we ate dinner in her home and she made some of the best food i've ever tasted in my life. the culture of my clan truly is something else, and the traditional food here is... amazing. it's a lot different from the instant ramen you and i would have every night, but it really is good. you should come over sometime and try it. or, maybe i'll learn some new recipes and come over to konoha just to prepare some cooking for you. how does that sound?

        this is all i can write for now, as it is currently almost two in the morning and maharoda is already asleep.

 

                i miss you more.

        (name).

 

 

        to the woman whom i expect to be my future chef (just kidding! don't hit me)

 

        I would absolutely love for you to cook some new meals at my place. I eat too much of the same thing every night. Take-out isn't good for the system, you know. What kind of foods are there at your new home? Is it anything similar to the foods here in Konoha, I wonder?

        This is a bit irrelevant, but even though my previous apartment was destroyed... I keep finding mysterious cat hairs all over my flak jacket. I suspect that when your cats (who still don't like me, by the way) went plundering in my closet. That, or it was Kankaku-Teki who just wanted to spite me. He's the one who dislikes me the most, though I can't say why. Could you maybe tell me?

        Oh - and one more thing. During the restoration efforts of the village, I found a little ripped up piece of that green scarf you always used to wear. It was covered in dried up mud and some other unidentified stains, but I took it home and cleaned it as best I could. I'll keep it safe for when you have the time to come back and retrieve it. I know you liked that scarf a lot, and the way you acted after it went missing proves as much.

        Right now, Naruto and I, along with Guy and Yamato are on an island off the coast of The Land of Lightning. The purpose of the mission is so that Naruto can learn how to properly control the tailed beast sealed in him with Bee - the Jinchuuriki whom lives in Kumo, just like you. I've asked him if he's met you before and he said no in one of the oddest ways possible, but, he had a good rhythm at least.

 

        See you,

        Kakashi Hatake.

 

 

        to kakakakakakaktake

 

        my clan fancies a fuck ton of meat and starch. i don't know why that is, but they love frying, seasoning, sauteing, boiling, and baking their meat. they say that eating a lot of meat helps you build muscles faster and starch helps you keep a full stomach when you're training, so i guess they're right. it has worked for me, after all. but, i won't ever forget that day that saitihi kneed me in the gut so hard after i ate that i threw up my food while his knee was still buried in my stomach. not fun.

        we also love a lot of buttered rice and seasoned sea food. it's very delicious, but one of the only foods i've refused to eat is scallops and yellow rice. scallops just smell bad in general, so i haven't tried it yet - but yellow rice... that shit makes my mouth say 'fuck you'. yellow rice is the nastiest shit i've ever tasted and it makes me nauseous as hell. the texture feels slimy in my mouth and the seasoning in it does little for the food in the first place. anyways, thanks for reading my little rant about how much i hate yellow rice. i won't ever cook it for you in the future, so don't ask.

        are the cat hairs long and curly at the ends? if they are, those are most definitely kankaku-teki's strands of fur. he's got long, shaggy hair on his body but really curly tufts on his tummy. (he loves to lay on his tummy, so that's probably how he transferred them to your flak jacket.) also, kankaku-teki doesn't hate you... he's just kind of a grumpy boy and he takes a while to warm up to someone new. it's just how he is, so don't take it personally. i'm sure he does kinda like you underneath all of that huffing and scowling.

        i can't believe you found even a single remnant of that scarf. i'm impressed. if you could keep it safe, it would be greatly appreciated and i'll make sure to pick it up sometime when i'm able. thank you a bunch. :)

        bee? i've heard about him. he mostly keeps to himself, but he's a very sociable and funny guy from what i've heard. i think he's had a rap battle with someone in my clan, though i can't be too sure... next time i see him, i do want to see what all the hubba bubba's about with him. he seems really cool. and, according to saitihi, he's good friends with bee. baaton stands behind that statement, so i guess i can't call saitihi a liar.

 

        (name).

 

 

        To (namememememememememe)

 

        All of that food sounds delicious, but if you really hate yellow rice that bad, I guess I have no say about it. My dad used to love eating yellow rice from what I can remember, but he never forced me to eat any of it. That's one of the things i liked about my dad - he never forced me to stay at the dinner table and eat what I didn't like. I wasn't a picky kid by any means, but a lot of kids are nowadays and they're usually forced to sit at the dinner table until they finish eating. That sounds like absolute torture.

        Yes, the cat hairs are exactly like that. ... If that's really how kankaku-teki is, then I have nothing more to say about him. I know more about dogs, who are normally more extroverted animals - not cats. You're the cat expert here. Thanks for letting me know, though. Next time I'll be sure to take his murderous, narrowed-eye glare from across the room with a grain of salt.

        I can believe that rap battle story. A couple of times since we've been on this island, Bee's been rapping nonstop and he keeps asking Yamato to rap with him. It's kinda funny to see Yamato so flustered towards Bee's exuberance.

 

        Hope you're eating well,

                Kakashi Hatake.

 

 

        to the little mole on the corner of your chin:

 

        your dad sounds like a nice man.

        i saw a family portrait of my parents for the first time a few months ago in my aunt mele's house. it sat atop a withered old shelf in her dining room collecting dust until i picked it up.

        my parents looked so happy when i saw them smiling in the picture. i... kind of wish what i was able to grow up with them, if they weren't the way they were towards my clan decades ago. i just wish things were different. and now, whenever i catch my reflection in the mirror, i can see only my father staring right back at me.

        uh, sorry if i got all sappy there.

        anyways... i hope you're eating well too.

 

        (name).


End file.
